Fate
by Piper Elizabeth
Summary: Adam Ruzek and Kim Burgess are both cops, but don't know each other. They end up in a dangerous situation and discover that fate has a plan for them both. But, what happens when they learn they can't have each other and the careers they both want? Will they be able to work it out? Burzek
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Fate

 **Rating:** Strong T for some language and normal adult behavior

 **Disclaimer:** Chicago PD and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement. I only use them as a means to de-stress myself.

 **Summary:** Adam Ruzek and Kim Burgess are both cops, but don't know each other. They end up in a dangerous situation and discover that fate has a plan for them both. But, what happens when they learn they can't have each other and the careers they both want? Will they be able to work it out? Burzek

 **Spoilers:** Nothing specific for the series. This is just my own version of how they might have gotten together!

 **Chapter 1**

Adam Ruzek had been looking forward to his day off for weeks. Things had been so busy at work that he couldn't even remember the last time he had done laundry. He had already worn the same Jeans to work three times and he was afraid other people were beginning to notice. Not that he would trade his job for anything. Adam worked in the Intelligence unit, an elite group of the Chicago Police Department, and he loved it. But that didn't mean he didn't cherish his days off. Adam was looking forward to spending his free day running a few errands, cleaning up all the takeout boxes that were strewn around his apartment, and then sitting on the couch with a beer, watching the football game.

As Adam opened the door to his bank, a small branch tucked into the corner of a busy street in the middle of downtown Chicago, he noticed a pretty brunette walking towards him. She was obviously headed for the same place. He did what most guys did when a pretty woman walked by - he checked her out. She was in a pair of simple Jeans and sneakers. Although she was mostly covered by a large, white, puffy jacket, she clearly had a good figure. She had winter gloves on, protecting her hands from the cold November air, but it prevented him from seeing whether or not she had a wedding ring on. Her face was flawless, her eyes a dark brown. Her brunette hair was up in a sloppy ponytail and she wore no makeup, telling Adam that her appearance wasn't the most important thing to her. Adam liked that in a woman.

"Looks like it could snow," Adam said as he held the door open for the woman.

"Hopefully it's not quite cold enough for that," she replied. "After all, it's only November."

She smiled at him, revealing perfect white teeth. Adam was immediately drawn to her smile. He couldn't help but wonder what her lips tasted like.

"Welcome to Chicago," he added.

The woman nodded and walked past him. "Thank you," she said. Adam followed her inside. She stepped into the line behind a man and a woman, waiting to speak to a bank teller. Adam stopped right behind her.

"Do you...ah...live around here?" Adam asked, realizing he was reaching for conversation. Normally he wasn't one to hit on a random woman while he was out running his errands, but there was something about the brunette that intrigued him. Plus it had been a long time since Adam had enjoyed the company of a woman.

"A few blocks away," the woman answered, briefly turning around to look at him. As soon as she was done, though, she put her back to him again, giving him the signal that she was done talking. She began taking off her gloves and Adam got a look at her ring finger. It was empty. He nearly rejoiced - she wasn't married. With that encouragement, Adam decided he would give it one more try.

"Have you lived in Chicago long?" Adam questioned.

As she turned around to respond to him, she dropped one of her gloves. Adam immediately bent down to retrieve it. As he went to stand up again, he heard the front door being shoved open.

"Do what we say and nobody gets hurt!" A male voice shouted.

Dropping the glove again, Adam turned to look at the door. Three men in black ski masks with guns in their hands were standing at the door. One of the men turned and locked the door behind them. Chaos immediately ensued. The woman in front of Adam and Kim screamed. A few of the bank tellers began to scramble.

"Everybody on the floor!" The tallest of the masked men yelled.

As everyone began to crouch to the floor, Adam stayed standing. He noticed his mystery woman did too. One of the men turned towards them, pointing the gun right at them. Instinctually, Adam stepped in front of the woman. If someone was going to get shot, he wasn't going to let it be her. She might be a stranger to him, but he had taken an oath to protect and serve and he lived by that oath. Adam put his hands up above his head, wishing he had his gun with him.

"Look, nobody wants any trouble," Adam said, his voice steady. He had been in dangerous situations before. He knew how to handle himself.

"Then get on the ground," the man snarled.

"I'm sure we can work this out so nobody gets hurt," Adam continued.

"Get on the ground now!" The gunman bellowed, pointing his gun right in Adam's face. The woman behind Adam put her hand on his shoulder. Adam forgot that she was still standing behind him. He expected her to cowering on the ground like the other customers, but she wasn't. She was standing with him.

The woman began to stoop down, putting pressure on Adam's shoulder as she did so. Adam slowly sat down, the woman doing the same thing. Once they were on the ground, the gunman turned his attention to what was going on elsewhere in the bank.

Without a gun in his face, Adam took a moment to glance over his shoulder to look at the woman. He noticed she had her glove in her hand. She casually dropped it onto his lap as they sat on the floor. She met his eyes and then motioned for him to look at the glove. Adam picked it up and knew what she wanted him to see.

"You're a cop?" He whispered. The letters CPD were embroidered on her glove. She nodded. Adam suddenly felt much less alone. With another cop with him, he knew that they were going to make it out of their situation alive.

"Put the money in the bag!" One of the men shouted.

Adam concentrated back on what was going on around them. The men had herded all of the bank tellers into one corner of the room except for one man who they were ordering to empty the cash drawers. The two people who were ahead of Adam in line were lying on the floor with their hands over their heads. He could hear the woman crying.

"I think I can take out the tall one," Adam whispered. "Do you have your gun?"

"Do you think I'd be cowering on the floor if I had my gun? I'm off duty."

"Me too. But I know I can take him down."

"Too risky," the woman replied quietly. "We stay quiet."

"And let them go?"

"One of the tellers must have tripped the bank alarm. The police have to be on their way by now."

"We are the police."

"Trust me, we try something and we're not only risking our lives, we're risking everybody's life in this bank. Just sit tight. Even if the guys make it out of here, they won't get far."

"Hey!" The man closest to them yelled. "No talking!"

"You're taking too long!" The man holding the gun in the teller's face shouted at him.

Adam could tell the teller was beginning to lose it. If he didn't put the money in the bag faster, his life would most likely be over very soon.

"He's going to shoot him," Adam whispered.

The sound of approaching sirens filled the bank. The woman was right, the alarm had been tripped and the police were almost there.

"We gotta get out of here!" One of the men stated, obviously beginning to get nervous.

"It's too late," another one of the men said as a police car screeched to a halt in front of the bank. As one of the men turned his attention to the door, Adam saw his opportunity.

"I'm taking the tall one. Can you handle the short one near the counter?"

"And what about the third guy?"

"He won't shoot anyone. Look at him. He's too nervous. He's not a killer."

"This is a bad idea," she hissed.

"Can you do it?" He repeated.

She nodded and Adam believed her. She was petite, but somehow Adam knew she could handle herself. Adam immediately sprang to action. He raced across the bank, and barreled into the tall man in the middle of the bank. The man's gun fell to the ground. The man struggled against Adam, but Adam managed to stay on top of him.

Meanwhile, the female cop went for the man who had his gun in the face of the teller. She high-kicked the gun right out of his hand. It went skidding across the floor. As Adam continued to wrestle with the taller guy, she started fighting off the short one. She punched him hard in the face and he fell to the ground, unconscious. She glanced back at the remaining man with the gun. He had turned his attention from what was going on outside the bank to what was going on inside. He lifted his gun in Adam's direction. Adam was kneeling on top of the tall man. He didn't notice the gun that was aimed at him.

"No!" The woman shouted.

At the sound of her voice, Adam turned towards her. He saw her running forward, but he didn't know why. The sound of a gunshot rang out. With his knee in the tall man's back and his arm pulled behind him, Adam turned towards the sound of the shot. He saw the gunman staring at his gun as if he didn't know what he had done. It took Adam a moment to process the scene. He wasn't shot. He whipped his head around and saw the woman lying on the ground, a pool of blood beginning to form beside her. Adam felt his blood boil.

From where he crouched, still restraining one of the men, Adam could reach the man's fallen gun. He picked it up with the full intention of shooting the man who shot the woman. Just as he aimed the gun at the shooter, the front door burst open. A dozen members of the SWAT team rushed into the bank with their guns raised.

Not really thinking, Adam ran to where Kim fell. She was on her back, gasping for air. The pool of blood around her was growing.

"It's ok," he said. "You're ok."

Adam ripped open her coat. He could tell the blood was seeping from a gunshot wound in her stomach. Adam pulled off his coat, gathered it up in a ball and pressed it against her wound.

"Hands up!" One of the SWAT members barked, not knowing who Adam was.

"I'm a cop!" Adam shouted in response. "We have an officer down!"

Adam heard someone talking into a radio, asking for an ambulance. With his free hand, Adam brushed hair away from the woman's face. Her eyes were beginning to close.

"Hey, hey, hey. You gotta stay with me," Adam pleaded.

"Ok," she said in a whisper.

"You took a bullet for me."

"I told you your plan was a bad idea," she said with a slight smirk.

"You were right. You saved my life."

"That's what a good cop does."

She coughed, breathing becoming more difficult for her.

"I don't even know your name," Adam said, hoping to keep her talking. If she was talking, she was still alive.

"Kim," she said quietly.

"It's nice to meet you, Kim. I'm Adam."

As he introduced himself, two medics came into the bank. They both knelt down next to Kim.

"What have we got?" One of them asked.

"Gunshot wound to the stomach," Adam answered. "She's conscious and responsive, but she lost a lot of blood."

"We've got it from here," the medic told him.

As one of the medics replaced Adam's bloodied coat with a large piece of gauze, Adam stepped out of the way. He wanted the medics to be able to do their work even though he really didn't want to leave the beautiful stranger.

Adam took the moment to look around the bank. The three robbers were being taken away by members of the SWAT team. The bank tellers and two customers were being herded to a debriefing area outside. Things were finally under control.

Adam looked back down at Kim. Her eyes were closed. The medics were beginning to roll her onto a backboard. As they lifted her, Adam took her hand. He barely knew her, but he owed her his life. Kim half opened her eyes, looking at him. She gave him a small smile before her eyes shut once more.

"You gotta stay with me, remember?" He got no response. "Is she going to be alright?" He asked, walking with the medics as they carried her out of the bank to a waiting ambulance.

"Bullet didn't go through. It's lodged in her somewhere. We need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible."

They placed the backboard on a gurney and pushed her into the back of the ambulance, forcing Adam to let go of her hand.

"You coming with?" One of the medics asked.

Adam was about to say yes when he saw Hank Voight, his sergeant, walking towards him. He shook his head.

"What hospital are you taking her to?" Adam asked.

"Chicago Med."

Adam nodded. "Take care of her."

"We will."

As Voight approached him, the medic climbed into the back of the ambulance and closed the doors.

"You ok?" Voight asked.

"Yeah."

"Friend of yours?" Voight motioned to the ambulance.

"She saved my life," Adam answered.

"Civilian?"

"Cop," Adam corrected.

"Lucky she was in there with you."

"Yeah."

"You want to tell me what happened?"

Adam watched as the ambulance sped off and disappeared down the road. He wished he was back there with Kim holding her hand again. He not only felt like he owed her, but he wanted to be there for her. He made himself a promise that he would see her again.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I know people have been clamoring for some more Burzek stories. I decided to give a multi-chapter fic a try. I hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next day

Adam walked through the hospital, passing by nurses and doctors going about their business. He was holding a bouquet of pink, white, and purple flowers in his hand, gripping them like a vice. He had to admit that he was a little nervous. After he watched the ambulance drive away from the bank the day before, Voight brought Adam back to the station. Adam first told Voight what had happened inside the bank from the minute he had stepped in to the minute Kim got shot. Then he had to retell his story to the sergeant who was in charge of the investigation. Apparently the three men who attempted to rob the bank had hit up several banks in just two weeks. The sergeant in charge was very interested in how Adam managed to single-handedly take them down. Adam had to remind him several times that there was nothing single-handed about it. If it weren't for Kim, he would be dead. Adam told them every detail over and over again except for the fact that he was flirting with Kim before he even knew who she was. That would remain their little secret.

It took hours to for Adam to give his statement and to answer all of the questions Voight and the other sergeant had. The whole time Adam kept asking about Kim. He wanted to know her condition. He wanted to know if she was ok. Everyone kept telling him they'd let him know if they found out anything.

What Adam eventually found out was that Kim has suffered large amounts of blood loss and had to undergo surgery. The bullet apparently was lodged inside her body, which wasn't a good sign. Adam desperately wanted to go to the hospital to see how she was, but answering more questions for Voight prevented him from doing so.

Finally, late that night, Adam was allowed to go home. Before he left the station, he found out that Kim had made it through surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. Adam had driven straight to the hospital, but then sat outside in the parking lot. He knew visiting hours were over and Kim was probably resting. After all, she had just come out of surgery. Although Adam could barge his way through, flashing his badge, he had to wonder if Kim even wanted to see him. She had taken a bullet for him after his plan went south. If he had just followed her lead and let the armed SWAT members do their job, she wouldn't be shot. Maybe she never wanted to see his face again. Adam also realized he looked like a mess. He needed a shower, a new change of clothes, and a shave. Deciding that he needed to give her her privacy, despite the fact that he wanted to see her to prove to himself that she was ok, Adam drove home.

The next morning, after a shower, a decent breakfast, and a quick shave, Adam had stopped by the florist before making his way to the hospital. He still didn't know if Kim would want to see him, but he sure as hell was going to try. After getting her room number from a nurse at the desk, Adam made his way through the hospital. When he reached her room, he could see Kim inside lying on a bed. She was sitting up, talking with another attractive woman who was sitting by her bedside. The woman appeared to be only a few years older than Kim. Her hair was the same shade of dark brown. Adam guessed they were sisters. He was about to walk in when he heard the woman speak.

"So...is he hot?"

"Who?" Kim replied.

Even though he couldn't see her speaking from his vantage point, Adam recognized Kim's voice immediately. He didn't think he'd ever forget it. He decided to hang out outside the door, listening to their conversation.

"The cop you took a bullet for," the woman continued.

Adam smiled. Although he knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, he couldn't wait to hear what Kim's response would be.

"He's...cute," Kim said.

"Cute as in puppy-dog cute? Or cute as in hot-cute?"

"What exactly does hot-cute mean?"

"Oh, come on, you know. Hot-cute is when you want to rip the guy's shirt off and jump his bones."

"I don't know," Kim answered. "He was just...cute."

"You have to give me more than that."

"You're married. Why do you care how hot he was?" Kim asked.

"So you admit it, he was hot."

Kim sighed. "Fine, he's hot. He's so hot that if I hadn't gotten shot, I probably would have ripped his shirt off and had sex with him right there on the floor of the bank in front of everybody."

Adam nearly laughed out loud. Even though he knew she was joking, just the idea that she was attracted to him was good news.

"Well you don't have to make it weird," the woman said. "Was he single?"

"I don't know!" Kim practically shouted. "I was too busy dealing with armed bank robbers to ask."

"Well, you must have at least checked out his ring finger. Was he married?"

"No," Kim answered.

Adam smiled, remembering that he had checked out her ring finger before things had gone to hell. He had been happy to find out she wasn't married. He wondered if she had been happy to find out that he wasn't married too.

"No there was no ring or no you didn't look?"  
"You are impossible, you know that?" Kim replied.

"I'm just trying to look out for the well-being of my little sister," the woman said. "Maybe you and this cop are meant to be. Maybe it was fate."

"You think it was fate that we ended up in the middle of a bank robbery together?"

"Maybe. After all, you two were both off duty. How many times do two off-duty cops find themselves in the middle of a bank robbery?"

"I think you're crazy."

"Oh come on, you've been single for a while now."

"While that may be true, I think I'll stick to meeting men in the traditional way."

"What? At a bar or a club? Do you remember the last guy you brought home from a bar? Or how about that guy you went on a date with from that online site? Wasn't he obsessed with frogs or something?"

"It was turtles and he was nice," Kim corrected.

"He was a creep."

"Can we change the subject? I don't even know if Adam is single."

"Oh, so we're on a first name basis with the hot cop now, huh?"

"Shut up."

"You'd be interested if he was, right?"

"Was what?"

"Single. I'm sure you can look up his last name or find out what precinct he works for or whatever you guys call them. You're a cop. You do things like that, right?"

"You do remember that I was shot yesterday, right? You seem more concerned with whether or not I'm going to start dating the hot cop from the bank rather than the fact that I had a bullet surgically removed from my body less than twenty-four hours ago."

"You said you were fine. Maybe if you don't want to date the hot cop, we can find a hot doctor while you're here."

Adam chose that moment to make his presence known. He definitely didn't want Kim looking around for any attractive doctors. Adam stepped into the room, holding the flowers out in front of him.

"Hi," he said. When Kim saw him, she smiled. Her sister did too.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" Kim asked.

"I...wanted to make sure you were ok," he answered.

"And he brought you flowers," Kim's sister added.

"Sorry," Kim apologized. "Adam, this is my sister Lauren. Lauren, this is Adam…"

"Ruzek," he filled in. "We didn't exactly have the chance to exchange last names, did we?"

"No we didn't."

Adam noticed she hadn't stopped smiling. That was as good sign.

"Burgess," Lauren said.

"What?" Adam responded, not sure what she was talking about.

"Kim's last name. It's Burgess."

"I could have told him that," Kim said, clearly annoyed with her sister.

"So you're the guy Kim took a bullet for," Lauren said, walking over to shake Adam's hand.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Don't worry, I'm a feminist," Lauren interrupted. "It's about time women started taking bullets for men." She took the flowers from Adam's hands. "I'm going to go find a vase." With a wink, Lauren left the room.

"I can't tell if she was kidding or not," Adam said, confused.

"Me either. Sorry. She can be a lot to handle," Kim said.

"It's ok. I have a sister of my own."

Adam walked over to Kim's bedside. Even though she had just had surgery, she looked beautiful.

"Thank you for coming," Kim said. "And for the flowers. You didn't have to do that."

"Figured it's the least I could do since you did save my life."

"I did what any cop would do."

He shook his head. "You went above and beyond what any cop would do. You were incredible yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"They've got me on morphine so I feel pretty good," she answered. "The bullet lodged in my stomach, but they were able to get it out without complication."

"That's good."  
"Yeah. Have you ever been shot before?"

"I've been shot at more times than I can count, but I've always been lucky. I guess you were my good luck charm yesterday."

"It's like meeting there was fate," Kim said, echoing her sister's sentiments.

"Maybe it was." They both paused, unsure of what to do or say. "So...ah...do you know when you're getting out of here?"

"Hopefully tomorrow," she answered.

"Maybe when you're feeling a little better, you'd want to grab a drink or something."

"Are you asking me out?"

"Well, I figure I owe you for saving my life."

"So, if I hadn't gotten shot, you wouldn't be asking me out?"

"I wouldn't say that."

Kim reached for a piece of paper and pen near her bed. She jotted down her phone number and handed it to him.

"Call me," she said.

"I will." Adam pocketed the number. "I'll let you get some rest."

"Thank you for stopping by. And for the flowers."

"Thank you for saving my life."  
"Any time."

Adam turned to walk away. As he made it to the door, he turned back.

"For the record," he said. "I think you're hot-cute, too."

Before Kim could respond, Adam walked out of the hospital room. As he walked through the halls, he immediately programmed her number into his phone. He did not want to risk losing it.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Sorry for the delay in posting – life is crazy as always. I'm expecting this story to be about 10 chapters so stay tuned for more!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

One week later

It was Saturday and Adam was at work. To say the least, he was not happy about it at all. Adam and Kim had plans to meet at 7:00 for dinner and being at work all day was the last place Adam wanted to be.

After leaving Kim at the hospital, Adam had forced himself to wait a whole twenty-four hours before calling her. He tried to remind himself to play it cool even though he was bursting to see her again. When she answered the phone, she sounded happy to hear from him, which made him hopeful. After a brief phone conversation, checking in with how she was feeling, Adam learned that she had been released from the hospital and was back home. The best part was she told him she had the all-clear from her doctors to get out of the house as long as she didn't push it. With that in mind, Adam mentioned that he still owed her for saving his life. They made plans to meet for dinner on Saturday night.

Unfortunately, Intelligence had been pulled into the murder of a crime boss just before midnight Friday night. Adam had spent his entire day off following leads with Olinsky. He had already texted Kim once at 6:00 to tell her that he was running about an hour late. As he sat at his desk, going over old cases against the crime boss, he realized his hour was up. It was almost 8:00, already an hour past the time they originally agreed to meet at a fancy Italian restaurant. Adam pulled out his phone. He speed dialed Kim's number and waited.

"Hey, I'm just getting out of the taxi outside the restaurant," Kim answered the phone. "Are you waiting at the bar?"

"I'm not there," he said. "I'm sorry." Adam knew he was going to regret what he was about to say, but there was no way around it. "I'm going to have to cancel tonight. I'm stuck at work."

"Oh."

"I feel terrible that you're already there. I should have called you earlier."

"It's ok."

"Trust me, I would much rather be there with you, but we caught this big case late last night and I'm swamped. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, I get it."

Somehow Adam knew she meant it. Usually when a woman said she was fine, she didn't really mean it, but he could tell that she did. He was beginning to learn that Kim wasn't your typical woman.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Really, Adam, it's no big deal. I've had to cancel more than things than I care to remember because of work."

"Yeah, me too."

"Negative side effect of being a cop," Kim commented.

"Look, how about I call you when this case is over and we can reschedule?"

"I like the sound of that."

"I really am sorry," Adam continued. "I was looking forward to tonight more than you know."

"It just means you'll owe me twice," she said with a slight laugh.

"I think I can live with that. Have a good night."

"You too."

Adam hung up the phone, wishing he could just leave the documents he was looking at on his desk and meet Kim at the restaurant, but he knew he couldn't. Voight was depending on him to get things done and he wasn't going to disappoint. Adam turned back to his work, trying to stop thinking about what Kim was wearing for their date.

After a few moments of getting nothing accomplished, Adam decided that coffee was in order. He walked into the break room and nearly cursed out loud when he saw that the coffee pot was empty. He was not happy with whoever drank the rest of the last pot and didn't make more.

Adam began preparing another pot, knowing he wouldn't make it through the night without it. He leaned against the opposite counter, watching the coffee slowly dripping down. He had no desire to actually get back to work. As matter of fact, his only desire was to see Kim. Adam lost himself in his daydream of Kim as the coffee dripped.

Just as Adam was imagining a sexy red dress that Kim could be wearing, he heard the phone ring from the other room. He left the break room and walked back to his desk. Surprised that anyone was calling the Intelligence department on a Saturday night, Adam picked up the phone.

"Ruzek," he said.

"Officer Ruzek, you have a visitor," the voice on the other end told him.

"Seargant Platt?" Aadam questioned, recognizing her voice. "What are you doing here on a Saturday night?"

"I drew the short stick this week," she retorted, obviously annoyed. "Did you hear what I said? You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" Adam asked, having no idea who would be waiting downstairs for him. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone.

"Just get your ass downstairs."  
Wondering if Platt was playing some kind of trick, Adam made his way down the stairs with some trepidation. When he got to the bottom of the steps, he saw Kim standing at the main desk, chatting with Platt. He blinked a few times, making sure he was actually seeing what was in front of him. Before making his presence known, he took a moment to look her over. Adam couldn't see what Kim was wearing under her winter coat, but he did notice she was in high heels and her legs were bare. He suddenly desperately wanted to peel her coat off of her and get his hands on whatever was underneath. Her hair was down and she had on just the right amount of makeup. Adam could smell her perfume from where he stood. She smelled amazing. Kim laughed at something Platt said, but Adam didn't hear the comment. He was focused completely on Kim.

"Here's the boy wonder now," Platt said, glancing over at Adam. Kim turned to look at him. She smiled.

"Hi," Kim said.

Adam took a few steps towards her. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"The restaurant was just around the corner. And since I figured you would need dinner, I thought I'd pop in with some food. I hope you like tacos."

Kim picked up a plastic bag that she had placed on the desk. If Adam had dared put anything on Platt's desk, she would have had his head.

"Tacos happen to be my favorite," Adam answered with a smile. "Come on up."

"It was nice to meet you, Sergeant Platt," Kim said.

"Feel free to stop by anytime Officer Burgess," Platt said.

"Thanks, I will."

"Although, for the record, I think you can do much better than Ruzek."

"Hey!" Adam shouted.

Kim laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"It's right this way," Adam said, wanting to get Kim away from Platt as soon as possible. He didn't want Platt putting any more thoughts in her head.

Adam took the take-out bag from Kim so she wouldn't have to carry it and led Kim to the stairwell. After putting his hand against the sensor, the locked gate that blocked the stairs buzzed and unlocked. Adam pulled it open and motioned for Kim to walk up.

"Thank you," she said.

She began walking up the stairs very slowly. Adam could tell that every movement was painful for her. Halfway up she had to stop to take a breath.

"You ok?" Adam asked, putting his hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, I just get...winded sometimes."  
"Well, you were shot only a week ago. We don't have to keep going if you don't want to. I can call you a cab and…"

"No, I'll be fine."

Kim began making her way up the stairs again. Adam stood behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. He admired her determination. He also couldn't help but admire the view. After all, her ass was practically in front of her face and he was enjoying it immensely.

When they made it to the top of the stairwell, Adam slipped past her and showed her his desk. He immediately pulled out his chair and she sat down.

"I hope you don't mind that I just...showed up," Kim said after she got her breath back.

"Of course not. I'm happy to see you. I felt terrible about cancelling."

Kim shrugged. "It happens."

"Can I take your coat?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you."

Kim stood up and unbuttoned her coat. She slipped it off her shoulders and handed it to Adam. His eyes widened and his mouth watered at the sight of her. She was wearing a short, sleeveless, high-waisted black dress. She looked even better than any of the images Adam had conjured in his mind.

"Wow," he said in a near whisper. "You look incredible."

Kim looked down at herself as if she had forgotten what she was wearing.

"It took me a while to find something that didn't look ridiculous and puffy with the stupid bandage wrap I have to wear."

"Well, you look beautiful."

As Adam put her coat over the back of Olinsky's nearby chair, he noticed she was blushing. He made a mental note to compliment her often.

"So, this is the infamous Intelligence unit, huh?" She asked, looking around.

"Yeah."

"I expected it to be…bigger."

Adam laughed. "Well, you haven't seen the break room yet. I just brewed some coffee. Would you like some?"

She shook her head. "No thank you." She began looking over the contents of his desk. "So, what big case are you working on?"  
"Ever hear of Vinnie Santilli?"

"Isn't he like the mob boss of the Italian mob in Chicago?"

"He was until he was found murdered this morning."

"And you have to figure out who killed him?"

"Well, the team does."

"And where is the team?"

"Here and there. Everyone's working on some kind of lead out in the field. A lot of them are contacting their CI's."  
"And you're stuck here at the office alone?"  
Adam shrugged. "Sometimes that's just the way it is."

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm poring over some old case files that Vinnie Santilli was somehow involved in. He was charged with multiple murders, countless acts of drug trafficking, sexual assault, you name it, he's got a file about it."

"Let me guess, he never did any time in prison."

"Nope. My job is to see if any of the victims of his crimes decided it was time to get some revenge."  
Kim looked over at the box next to Adam's desk. It was full of file folders.

"Looks like a lot of work. Would you like some help?"

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to."

"I thought your doctors said you shouldn't be working."

"Well, they don't want me out on the streets, but that doesn't mean I can't sit here and help you look at files."

"Really, you don't have to do this."

"Being stuck at home this week has really sucked. Trust me, I'm thrilled to do something other than sit on my couch and listen to my sister talk my ear off on the phone. Plus, two heads are always better than one."

"Ok, but how about we eat those tacos first?"

"I like the way you think."

After eating their tacos and engaging in polite conversation, they both dug into the files from the box. When Adam's desk got too crowded, they moved everything into the conference room. They worked for several hours until Adam noticed Kim was getting tired. Her breathing was getting slightly labored. Adam guessed it was because she had been sitting in the same position for so long. After suggesting the call it a night, Adam insisted on driving Kim home. She told him she could easily get a cab, but he wouldn't hear of it. He helped her back into her coat and they made their way out of the building and to Adam's car. Adam spent the car ride telling Kim all about how Platt seemed to have it out for him, but that she was actually a really good sergeant. When Adam pulled up in front of Kim's apartment, he walked her to the door. They stood on the doorstep, facing each other.

"Well, thank you for a nice evening," Kim said.

Adam chuckled. "I should be telling you that. I couldn't have gotten through all of those files without you. I'm sorry it was such a terrible first date."

"I wouldn't say it was terrible. And I wouldn't exactly call it a first date. As matter of fact, I think it was a great improvement over our first date. At least neither of us got shot this time," Kim said with a smile.

"You're absolutely right."  
"You know, usually I have a rule about not kissing on the first date, but seeing as how this is our second date…"

Kim didn't even finish her sentence before Adam leaned down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he snaked his arms around her narrow waist. If it weren't for the fact that she had been shot the week before, Adam would have scooped her up in his arms and carried her into her apartment, never breaking their kiss. As it was, though, he knew he had to control himself.

When they parted, Kim was smiling.

"Well…" she said, practically panting.

"What are you doing Wednesday night?" Adam asked.

"You mean besides talking to my sister?"

"Yeah, besides that."

"Well, I did have a date with my DVR, but I think I can reschedule."  
"Good."

"What did you have in mind?" She wondered, clearly interested.

"I'm going to cook you dinner."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"I guess you're going to have to find out."

"And if your case isn't over by then…"

"Nothing's going to stop me from getting home Wednesday night to cook you dinner. After all, I owe you...twice."

"Ok," Kim agreed.

"Ok."

Adam pressed his lips against hers one last time. He just couldn't get enough of her.

"Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight."  
Kim made her way inside, leaving Adam wanting more.

Author's Note: I loved writing this chapter. I hope you liked it too! As always, thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

3 days later

Adam counted the days and hours until he would get to see Kim again. Although the case Intelligence was working on took up most of his time, he still managed to think of her every chance he got. The taste of her lips and the smell of her perfume stuck in his head. She tasted like cinnamon sugar and smelled like an exotic flower that he couldn't quite identify. She intoxicated him in every way possible.

Adam had texted with Kim a few times over the last few days to see how she was doing, but that hadn't satisfied his need for her. On Wednesday at 4 PM Adam made some excuse for needing to leave Intelligence, despite the fact that the team was still working on the case. Just as he told Kim before he left her on Saturday night, nothing was going to stop him from keeping their date.

After leaving work, Adam stopped by the grocery store. He picked up everything he would need to make stuffed shells. It was one of the few things he knew how to make well. He had learned from his grandmother who made the best stuffed shells Adam had ever had, better even than any restaurant. His weren't as good as his grandmothers, but they came close. He hoped it would be enough to impress Kim.

Adam made his way home and began cooking immediately. Kim was due to arrive at 7:00 and he wanted everything to be perfect. Adam took his time preparing the stuffed shells, making a salad, and cutting up some fresh baked bread from the bakery. He was just taking a cold bottle of wine from the refrigerator when the doorbell rang. Adam looked down at his black button-down shirt to make sure he hadn't stained it with sauce. Not seeing any stains, he made his way to the door and opened it.

"Hey," he said when he saw Kim.

"Hey yourself."

"Come on in."

He stepped aside so she could walk past him. Kim was bundled up against the bitter cold outside. Since the sun set, the temperature had drastically dropped. She handed Adam a white box tied with green bow.

"Those are the best cannolis you'll find in Chicago from my favorite bakery," she explained.

"Sounds amazing," Adam said, putting the box in the kitchen.

"Trust me, they are."

When Adam turned back around, Kim was taking off her coat. Just like in his office, his eyes lit up when he saw what she was wearing underneath. Instead of a dress, she was wearing a pair of skinny Jeans, tucked into black knee-high boots. She had on a black, scoop-necked long sleeved shirt that showed off her cleavage incredibly well. Her hair was pulled away from her face, showing off her incredible good looks. Like before, her makeup was light. She looked incredible.

"Every time I see you, you're more beautiful than the last," he complimented.

"You flatter me, considering the second time I ever met you, I was sitting in a hospital bed."

"You were beautiful then, too."

"It smells amazing in here," Kim said, obviously wanting to change the topic. He liked that she was modest about her good looks.

"I made stuffed shells."

"From scratch?" She asked.

Adam nodded. "It was my grandmother's recipe. They should be ready any minute."

"Can I help you with anything?"

"No, thank you. I've got it. I owe you, remember?" Adam pointed to the small kitchen table he had set for two, complete with lit candlesticks. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

Kim sat down at the table. As she looked around his house, Adam brought the bottle of wine he had taken out of the refrigerator to her.

"You have a nice place here," she complimented.

"It belonged to my great aunt. I renovated it a few years ago. Would you like some wine?"

"Oh I...I can't," she said.

"Oh," Adam replied, a little confused.

"I can't drink alcohol with the antibiotics I'm on."

"Right, of course. I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. I'll just have water. But, please don't let me stop you from enjoying the wine."

"I'm actually more of a beer guy myself," he said.

"You bought the wine for me," she said with a smile. "I'm sorry, I should have told you I can't drink right now."

"It's ok. I haven't opened it yet. It'll keep until next time."  
"Next time?" She questioned.

"I'm feeling optimistic."

The timer on the oven went off. Putting on oven mitts, Adam pulled the stuffed shells out of the oven. They were baked to perfection. He expertly transferred them to a platter before putting them on the table. Next he retrieved the garlic bread and the salad. He filled both their glasses with water and then joined Kim at the table.

"This looks delicious," she said, placing her napkin on her lap. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."  
"You're worth it. Please, dig in."

As they started eating, Adam decided it was time he learned more about the woman sitting across from him. He realized that even though they were on what they considered to be their third date, he didn't know much about her. He knew she was a cop, that was incredibly smart and quick on her feet, and of course that she was beautiful, but he didn't know much more than that.

"So, how long have you been a cop?" They said at the same time. They both laughed. Adam realized just as he didn't know much about her, she didn't know much about him.

"You first," Adam said.

"Two years," she answered.

"Have you always been a street cop?"

"Yeah."

"Ever thought about getting out of the uniform?"

She shrugged. "I've had my eye on narcotics. I think the undercover work they do and working with CI's and the follow-through they have to have with cases that might take months or years...it's all fascinating to me. But they're a tough department to get into."

"After the way you handled yourself in that bank, you shouldn't have any trouble getting into whatever department you want."

"What about you? How long have you been a cop?"

"Almost three years now," he answered.

"Did you start on the streets?"

"No. I was actually recruited for Intelligence right out of the academy," Adam explained.

"Wow. That's nearly unheard of."

"Yeah, well, Voight knows what he wants."

"What's it like working for Sergeant Voight?" She wondered.

"He's an incredible cop. He can be tough, but he gets the job done, you know."

"I've always heard all these...rumors," Kim explained.

"Well, I wouldn't believe everything you hear."  
"I never do. I always say there are three sides to every story. My version, your version, and the truth."

"Good words to live by. Have you ever thought of joining Intelligence?"

"The Intelligence team is the most elite team in Chicago. Every cop has thought of being on Intelligence. Very few ever actually get the chance."

"Like I said, you pull more maneuvers like you did in the bank and I have a feeling you'll get more than a chance."

"Hopefully those maneuvers don't require me getting shot again."

"Yeah, you should probably steer clear of any more bullets."

"Thanks for the advice," she said, smiling.

"What made you want to become a cop?" Adam asked as they continued to enjoy their meal.

"The simple answer? I wanted to help people."

"And the complex answer?" He pressed.

"Did you ever have to take one of those career aptitude tests in high school?"

"Yeah. They make you answer a bunch of pointless questions and then they tell you what career they think you should have."

"That's the one. When I took the test, it said I should be a cop. I thought it was completely bogus. I mean, no one pays attention to those things anyway. So after high school I became a flight attendant."

"A flight attendant? Really?" He asked, surprised.

"Yup."

"Did you have to wear one of those mini skirts with the matching hat?"

"I don't think flight attendants have worn those since the 70's."

"Right. Just must be a fantasy of mine."

"Anyway," Kim continued. "I thought being a flight attendant was going to be glamorous. I thought I'd get to see the world. But, after a year, I realized it was more about hanging around in airports than anything. And one day I thought back to that stupid aptitude test and I decided that if I really wanted to help people, I should be a cop."

"I bet you looked pretty cute in whatever uniform you had to wear," Adam commented.

"What about you? Why'd you become a cop?"

"It's the family business," Adam answered. "My dad is a cop. My grandfather was a cop. My uncles, cousins, a few aunts...all cops. There was no escaping it."

"Did you ever want to do anything else?"

"Nope. I bleed blue."

"I said that to my last boyfriend once and he thought I was crazy." Kim immediately bit her lip. Adam knew it was a tell-tale sign of someone saying something they wished they hadn't. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I brought him up."

"It's ok. We all have a past. How long were you together?"

"Four years."

"That's a long time. What happened?"

"We met when I was a flight attendant and he wasn't very supportive when I told him I wanted to be a cop. And then he...ah...he couldn't accept what being a cop means. He thought the hours were too long and it was too dangerous and...he wanted to me quit."

"He sounds like an ass," Adam commented.

Kim laughed. "He was. I just wish it didn't take me so long to realize it. Have you ever dated another cop?"

Adam shook his head. "No. Have you?"

"No," she said. "But there's a first time for everything."

Adam reached across the table and put his hand on hers. He rubbed his thumb over her soft skin. It felt completely normal to be in physical contact with her and he wanted more.

"Maybe we should move to somewhere more comfortable," Adam suggested, noticing that they had both finished their meals.

Kim nodded in response. Without letting go of her hand, he led her over to the couch. Kim sat down on the right side. Adam sat right beside her. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He leaned in closer to her, his lips finding her neck. She tilted her head sideways, giving him more access to her skin. She turned her head slightly, meeting his lips with her own. The kiss started slow, much like they had kissed on the steps outside her apartment building days earlier. It was Adam's tongue that slipped past her lips first, intensifying their kiss. She responded with equal enthusiasm. Adam leaned into her, her back coming to press against the arm of the couch. As Kim played with the hair on the back of Adam's neck, Adam began running his hand up her side. They both moaned as he kissed a trail across her chin before his lips met hers again. He positioned his body so he was practically on top of her, his knees digging into the couch on either side of her to keep his weight off of her. While he kissed her, he brought his hand to the bottom of her shirt. He began to lift her shirt until she hissed as if she were in pain. She turned away from him, tears springing to her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Adam said immediately climbing off of her. He scrambled to his feet. He had completely forgotten about her wound. He must have hit it while he was trying to get his hand under her shirt.

"It's fine," she said keeping her gaze away from his. Adam could tell she was trying to breathe through the pain.

"I forgot. I just...I'm sorry. What can I do?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Kim attempted to sit up, but Adam could tell on her face that she was in pain. He put his arms around her and slowly helped her to a seated position.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"Adam, it's ok," Kim said, finally looking at him. Her tears were gone, but Adam could tell she was still in some pain.

"No, it's not ok," he said, beginning to pace in front of the couch. "I should have known better. God, you were shot ten days ago and I…"

Kim grabbed his hand.

"It's ok. Would you sit down please?"

Adam hesitantly sat down beside her. He left a large gap between them. Kim turned her body so she was facing him.

"I should have warned you that I was still sore. I went to the doctors yesterday. They recommended I refrain from any physical activity for at least six weeks."

"Oh."

"Look, I know what you were expecting tonight and I…"

"No, I wasn't expecting anything," Adam said. "I mean, trust me, it's hard to look at you and not think about…" he trailed off.

"It's ok, Adam, you can say it. We're both adults. Whether you were expecting it or not tonight, I think it's fair to say that we would both like to be having sex right now."

Adam couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. He was starting to realize there were a lot of things he liked about her.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"I should have told you my prognosis before dinner tonight. If you aren't interested in waiting for sex, we don't have to…see each other anymore."

"Not seeing you is the furthest thing from my mind. I can wait. Six weeks is nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he answered and he meant it. "This will just give us more time to get to know each other."

"I like that sound of that," she replied.

"Me too."

"So..."

"So…" he repeated.

"Tell me about your family," she prompted.

"That could take all night."

"Good thing we have nothing else to do," Kim said.

She patted the spot beside her, begging for Adam to get closer to her once more. He scooted beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him as he began to tell her about his family.

Author's Note: Don't have much to say except thanks for sticking with me for this story! Don't forget to review – I love to read what everyone thinks!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

2 weeks later

Adam glanced around Molly's bar for what felt like the hundredth time in ten minutes. He wanted to see Kim enter and get to her the moment she walked in before she got whisked away by one of the members of the Intelligence team. Olinsky, Dawson, Halstead, and Ruzek were all mingling around the bar, enjoying a celebratory drink. They had finally found out who murdered Vinnie Santili. It was one of his own henchmen who was tired of being second-best. The man was currently sitting in prison, never to see the light of day again.

With the big win under his belt, Adam had made the decision to invite Kim to meet up with him and his friends at the bar. It had been Kim's first day back to work. Even though she was stuck behind a desk until she got the "all-clear" to resume physical activity from her doctors, Adam knew she was happy to be going back to work. She had easily grown bored staying home. He guessed he would have felt the same way.

Adam not only wanted to celebrate the teams' win and her return to work, but he also wanted to introduce Kim to his friends. Despite the fact that their physical relationship was put on hold, their relationship was moving steadily forward. It had been two weeks since their "third date." They hadn't gone more than a day without talking to each other and they had gone out a few times. Adam found he could talk with her more easily than any woman he had ever met before. Part of it was just that their personalities clicked so well, but it also helped that they were both cops. It gave them an endless supply of things to talk about and Adam never had to worry about her being bored like he did with so many other women.

Adam's only fear was that the members of the Intelligence team would scare her off. He knew they meant well, but they could be overwhelming. As it was, they were all excited to meet Adam's date. He hadn't yet used the word girlfriend when referring to Kim, which the guys teased him about relentlessly. Adam didn't want to move too fast even though the word had been circling in his brain for days. Just as he finished his first beer, Adam heard the door to the bar open and in walked Kim. He made his way over to her, greeting her with a light kiss.

"Hey there," he said.

"Sorry I'm a little late."

"Don't worry about it."

"I never knew how much time it actually took to do paperwork," she explained. "Remind me never to get shot and put on desk duty again."

Adam laughed. "How was your first day?"

"Exhausting."  
"Do you need to go home? Lie down?"

"No. It feels good to be out. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because we can reschedule."

Kim put her hand on his chest. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Trust me, I'm fine. But I like that you care so much."

As Adam smiled, he was quickly joined by Olinsky, Dawson, and Halstead.

"So you're the woman who took a bullet for Ruzek, huh?" Olinsky said.

"You should have let him get shot," Dawson added.

"Hey, watch it," Adam warned jokingly.

"Next time I'll keep that in mind," Kim said.

"I like her," Halstead commented.

"Guys, this is Kim. Kim, this is Halstead, Olinsky, and Dawson."

She shook each of their hands. Dawson was last and he didn't let go.

"Let's buy you a drink and tell you all of Ruzek's flaws," Dawson said as he began leading Kim to the bar.

"I told you, she can't drink, guys."

"Actually, I can. I finished my last antibiotic."

"Well then, it's going to be a fun night," Halstead added.

Kim smiled and allowed herself to be pulled to the bar. She sat down on a stool in between Dawson and Halstead. Adam watched from a few feet away. She looked completely comfortable and it made him smile.

Later that night, Adam was driving Kim home. Although she wasn't drunk, she did have quite a buzz. Knowing he had to drive, Adam had stopped drinking early in the night after two beers. He was enjoying seeing her being a little uninhibited.

"You missed the turn," Kim said from the passenger seat.

"No I didn't."

"Adam, I live down there," she said, pointing to her right.

"I'm not taking you home."  
"Then where are we going?"

"My place."

Adam heard Kim sigh.

"Look," she began. "I know I was able to go back to work and we had a good time tonight with your friends, but I still have four weeks left, Adam, before I can…before we can…"

"I know. No sex. Trust me, I haven't forgotten."

"Then what are we doing?" She wondered.

"I don't want to wake up without you," he admitted.

"Adam…"

"Look, I get that sex is off the table right now and although it sucks, I totally respect that. But that doesn't mean we can't just…be together. I want to wake up next to you tomorrow. I want to find out how you like your coffee in the morning and how you like your eggs…and whether or not you hog all the blankets."

Kim smiled. "So you want me to…sleep over?"

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds like we're teenage girls, but yeah, I want to sleep with you. And by that, I mean, actually sleep. Not that I don't want to sleep with you in the traditional sense, because I definitely do, but…"

"I get it," she interrupted. "I want to sleep with you, too."

He smiled at her small admission. He knew she was interested in being with him, but she hadn't ever actually said it out loud.

"Good to know," he responded. "So, what do you think about spending the night?"

"I think you're going to have to get used to sleeping beside a blanket hog. I'm always freezing."  
"I can get used to that."

"The only problem is I don't have any pajamas or a toothbrush or…"

"Well, I've got plenty of extra clothes. Might be a little big for you, but I have a feeling you'll look damn good in them."

"This is just a plot to see me in your clothes, isn't it?"

"Maybe. And I've got extra toothbrushes."

"For all those other women you take home?" She asked sarcastically.

"There are no other women. As matter of fact, I was thinking, it's time to make this official."

"Official?"

"You know…it's time we decide we're…exclusive."

"I think I like the sound of that. But there's…there's something you need to see first."

"What is it?"

"You'll see."

"Kim…"

"You'll see," she repeated.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. They glanced over at each other every once in a while, both of them sheepishly looking away when they caught each other's eye. Adam couldn't remember a time when he felt so happy.

When they arrived at Adam's house, he immediately led her to the bedroom and he took out a pair of sweatpants and a grey Chicago Police Department T-shirt. He held the clothing out to Kim and then turned to leave to give her her privacy. Kim grabbed his hand. He turned back to look at her. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the shirt she was wearing over her head. She was left standing in a dark blue bra. It was nothing special, but it was the least amount of clothing Adam had ever seen her in. She looked even better than he could have imagined.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

He trailed off when he saw Kim reaching for the bandage that she had around her abdomen. Part of the bandage disappeared under her Jeans. She unzipped her Jeans and pulled them down her hips. She stepped out of them. Adam held his breath. Her underwear matched her bra, but he barely noticed. His eyes were focused on her bandaged stomach. Kim reached for the medical tape that was keeping the bandage in place.

"You don't have to do this," Adam said.

"I want you to see. I want you to…know what you're getting into. It's not exactly…pretty."

"You're beautiful no matter what's under that bandage."

"Just…look," she whispered.

Adam made sure that he was looking into Kim's eyes when she took the bandage off. He leaned in and kissed her softly before he knelt down in front of her. He was face to face with the scar of the bullet she had taken from him. Her skin was red and irritated both from the bullet and the surgery she had afterwards. She had several scars that she would likely have the rest of her life. But to Adam, she was beautiful. Adam placed a light kiss against the bullet wound. When he stood up, he saw Kim had tears in her eyes.

"You are beautiful," he whispered into her ear. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She almost laughed at his question.

"Yes."

"Good."

When his lips met hers, he kissed her hard and fast. He wished he could scoop her up, throw her on the bed, and ravish her, but he settled for kissing her. After a few minutes, Adam wasn't sure he'd be able to stop so he backed away from her.

"This whole celibacy thing really sucks," Kim said, her face flushed.

"I couldn't agree more."

"I mean, we could try to…"

"No. I don't want to hurt you. We can wait."

She sighed. "Ok."

Adam picked up the T-shirt and sweatpants he had gotten for her from the floor and handed them to her. Kim fixed the bandage on her wound before pulling the clothes on.

"You were right."

"About what?" Kim asked.

"This was just a ploy to see you in my clothes. And you look damn sexy."

She smiled. Adam planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling off his shirt and pants.

"You are really making this celibacy thing difficult," Kim said, staring at his naked chest.

"To be fair, you're the one who started taking off your clothes first."

Adam climbed into bed, motioning for Kim to join him. She did. He put his arm around her as she settled against him. Adam kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight."

They both lay quietly for a few moments. Adam listened to the sound of Kim breathing.

"Scrambled," she said.

Adam laughed. "What?"

"You said you wanted to know how I like my eggs in the morning. I prefer scrambled with a little bit of cheese and some Cheez-Its on the top."

"Cheez-Its? Really?"

"It's something I learned at Girl Scout camp. Trust me, you'd love it."  
"I'm sure I would. I guess I need to go out and buy Cheez-Its tomorrow."

"Or there's always raisin pancakes."

"You eat raisins in your pancakes?" Adam questioned. "Are there any normal breakfast foods you eat?"

Kim giggled and proceeded to tell him while Adam held her, never wanting to let go.

Author's Note: This chapter was a lot of fun. I love writing sweet, tender moments. But be warned – drama is coming!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next day

The clock on the wall emitted a quiet ticking sound that was driving Adam crazy. In all the hours he put in at work, he never noticed it before, but the room was too quiet and he was so frustrated and tired that he couldn't help but concentrate on it. The tiredness was due to the fact that he and Kim had been up all night the night before talking about breakfast and everything else under the sun. The frustration was because they were doing just that – talking. He didn't blame her and he would never push her, but he had needs and not being able to fulfill those needs was beginning to negatively effect his work. Not to mention it was impossible to always be so physically close to her and not be able to actually make love to her. He knew she felt the same way.

Adam looked up at the ticking clock. Only three minutes had passed since he last looked at it. He stared down at the paperwork in front of him at his desk. He had to fill out about ten forms for arresting one of their suspects earlier that day. Halstead was across the room at his desk doing the exact same thing.

"Clock's not going to move any faster just because you're watching it," Halstead said.

"Maybe if I stare at these forms long enough, they'll start filing themselves out," Halstead replied.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen either."

"Too bad."

As Adam picked up his pen to start filling out the rest of the paperwork, his cell phone began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out, looked at it, and smiled. Kim was calling. Adam decided to take the call out of earshot of Halstead. He didn't need Halstead ribbing him about their conversation.

Adam stood up.

"Where are you going?" Halstead asked. "Voight said we can't leave until this paperwork is done. Gotta get it filed before the holidays."

"Getting some coffee," Adam answered.

With his phone in hand, Adam walked to the break room. He closed the door so that Halstead wouldn't hear him.

"Hey," Adam answered the phone.

"Hi."

"How are you?"  
"I'm good," she said. "How are you?"

"I'd be better if I didn't have to fill out a million forms that are just going to sit in a box somewhere, unread."

"You didn't shoot anybody, did you?" She asked teasingly.

"Not today. Just arrested someone."  
"Well, look at the bright side. There's about ten thousand less forms for just arresting someone than shooting someone."

"True," he agreed.

"So…I had to drink three coffees this morning just to make up for the lack of sleep last night."

"I got you beat. I had four."

She laughed. "I guess that means we need to stop staying up so late."

"Eh. I like coffee," Adam replied.

"I had a good time last night."  
"Me too."

"You know, with all that talking we did, we never actually brought up the fact that tomorrow is Christmas Eve," she stated.

"Is it?" Adam joked.

"That's such a man thing to say," she teased.

"Well, that's good because I am a man after all."

"I've noticed." Adam could hear the desire in her voice. "We didn't really talk about our…plans for the holiday."

"No. We didn't," Adam replied, trying to stay in the conversation and not let his mind drift to what he would much rather be doing.

"Well, my sister wanted me to invite you to Christmas dinner," Kim continued. "It's usually around six o'clock on Christmas day."

"Oh."

"I'm sure you have your own plans. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just didn't know if we were…there yet. You know, meeting each other's families is a big step."

"Yeah, it is. Although I have already met your sister."

"True. But if you remember, she's a bit nuts."

Adam laughed. "I'd love to meet your family. And I really appreciate the invitation, but my family always goes to my grandfather's every year on Christmas. We lost my grandmother a few months ago so it's important we're all there for him, you know."

"Of course. I totally get it."

"We could…ah…do something tomorrow maybe. On Christmas Eve. Something together?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I always take my niece out on Christmas Eve. We do some last minute shopping and go out to lunch. Then I always sleep over my sister's house and I'm there to open presents with her and my niece and my brother-in-law in the morning. It sounds sad and lonely when I say it loud."

"No. I think it's sweet."

"What about the day after Christmas? The 26th? Did Voight give you guys the day off?"

"Yeah. Now that we arrested the perpetrator in our latest case, he's giving us a few days off."

"Well, since there's not too much of a need for a cop who can only sit behind a desk, I got the 26th off, too."

"So we can celebrate together on the 26th."

"Isn't that Boxing Day in Canada or something?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, I think it is. That'll be our holiday. Who needs Christmas when you've got Boxing Day?"

"Boxing Day it is then," Kim agreed.

"Alright. I'll see you then. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

Adam hung up the phone. He left the break room with an extra pep in his step. When he sat back down at his desk, Halstead was staring at him.

"Where's your coffee?" Halstead asked.

Adam forgot that he used that as an excuse to go to the break room in the first place.

"There's no creamer," Adam said.

"There's a full one in the fridge. Maybe you didn't go to get coffee at all. Maybe you went to talk to that hot girlfriend of yours. You two weren't having phone sex, were you because we all sit on that couch in there."

"Finish your paperwork," Adam replied, trying to shut him up.

Halstead chuckled and they both went back to work.

Two Days Later

It had been forty-eight hours since Adam had spoken to Kim and he realized he missed her. She had texted him that morning to say 'Merry Christmas,' but that was as far as the conversation went. He knew she was busy with her family so he wasn't angry, but he wondered if she was thinking of him as must as he was thinking of her.

As Adam sat on the couch in his grandfather's living room, with his extended family around him sharing stories and laughing at each other's corny jokes, Adam discreetly pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text message to Kim.

'Hope you're enjoying your holiday. I miss you.'

A few seconds later, his phone buzzed once. She had texted him back. He glanced at the screen.

'Miss you too. Watching my niece play with her new toys.'

'Sounds like fun. See you tomorrow?'

'Wouldn't miss Boxing Day.'

Adam smiled. He looked up, noticing his mom was staring at him across the room. She gave Adam a knowing smile. Adam started to think about how much his mom would like Kim. He hadn't mentioned her at all to his parents. He was always cautious about introducing his girlfriends to his parents. As soon as he did, his mother always wanted to know when they were getting married. He wanted to figure out whatever was going on between him and Kim without his mother and her wedding fever interfering.

A few hours later, Adam had completed his familial Christmas duties. He had gone home, traded his Jeans for sweatpants, and was enjoying a beer on his couch. He was absentmindedly flipping through channels. There weren't exactly a lot of choices on Christmas night. He settled on watching A Christmas Story, even though he had seen it dozens of times before. Before too long, he fell asleep.

Adam awoke to the sound of knocking. A Christmas Story was still playing on the TV, but it had started over. It was part of a 24-hour marathon. Adam looked at the clock on his cable box. It was 12:01. There was a second knock on his door. Confused, Adam stood and shuffled to the door. He opened it slowly. Kim was standing on the other side, holding a present.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi. I hope you don't mind me stopping by so late. But, Christmas is officially over and now it's Boxing Day."

Adam smiled. "Come on in."

She walked in, putting the present on his kitchen table. Adam helped her out of her coat and threw it on the back of a chair. Adam looked her over. She looked beautiful in a sparkly, red sweater dress with black leggings.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked.

"Because you're beautiful." Adam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He kissed her with a passion he didn't even know he was capable of.

"What was that for?" She asked when they parted, completely breathless.

"I told you I missed you."

"Well, if you're going to kiss me like that, maybe you should miss me more often."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"I got you something."

Kim scooped up the present she had brought and handed it to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You'll just have to open it and find out."

Adam tore off the wrapping paper like a small child. He just dropped it on the ground. His jaw dropped when he saw what she had bought him. It was the complete bluray set of Matlock.

"How did you know I loved this show?"

"I opened your DVD player one day and a disc from the first season was in it. When I continued my investigation, I saw you had all the seasons except for two."

"Yeah, my dad borrowed them and never game them back."

"I figured you might appreciate a complete bluray collection with over ten hours of bonus features."

"You're amazing."  
"I'm a cop. Snooping is what we do," she stated with a smile.

"This was my favorite show when I was a kid. My dad and I used to watch reruns together all of the time."

"I've never seen it."

"Well, we've have to change that. I got you something, too."  
Adam walked away to his bedroom. When he returned, he was holding a small, wrapped box. Kim opened it slowly. It looked like a jewelry box. She held her breath as she opened it. Inside was a bullet on a silver chain.

"It's…nice," she said, not sure what to make of the gift.

"It's yours."

"I know. You just gave it to me."

"No, I mean, it's your bullet," he said.

"What?"

"The one they took out of your stomach. It's your bullet."

"Wait…you made a necklace out of the bullet I got shot with? How did you even get it?"

"I have connections at Chicago Med. I thought you might like to have it. You know, remind yourself that you're invincible."

"Thank you," Kim said, surprised and confused. Adam looked incredibly pleased with himself as if he had given her the best gift she ever got. She pretended to be excited.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course," she lied.

"Want to wear it?"

"Oh…um…ok."

"Turn around." Kim did as told, turning her back to him. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I want it to be a surprise when you see it on."

Trying to do her best to pretend she liked it, Kim closed her eyes. She felt Adam place the necklace around her neck and clasp it behind her.

"Open your eyes," he whispered.

Kim opened her eyes. To her surprise, Adam was holding a small handheld mirror in front of her face. She gasped when she saw the necklace. It wasn't the bullet. It was an exquisite, silver necklace with a stone in the shape of a teardrop at the bottom. It was her birthstone.

"Oh Adam, it's…beautiful."

"You're beautiful."

Kim turned around so she was facing him.

"This is too much. You shouldn't have…"

"You deserve it. You saved my life and you've made me very happy these last few weeks. You didn't really think I got you a bullet necklace for Christmas, did you?"

"I…I wasn't sure. I thought maybe you were the worst present giver and we'd have to break up."

"Well, I'm happy that's not the case."

"Me too."

"For the record, that's not the bullet they pulled out of you."

"I'm very glad to hear it. It was a bit…creepy before."

"Well, I wouldn't want to creep you out on Boxing Day."

She laughed, putting her hands on his chest. She looked up at him with doe eyes. Adam knew what she wanted. She wanted him, but he knew they couldn't. She still wasn't cleared for physical activity.

"You're going to have to wait two more weeks," he reminded her.

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that? I feel fine…"

"Except when you try to get up too fast or sit for too long. I've noticed the pain on your face, Kim. I'm not going to add to that pain."

"You are too much of a gentleman."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Matlock."

Kim allowed herself to be led to the couch, where they snuggled up together, watching Matlock.

Author's Note: I couldn't help but write another fun, fluff chapter. But I promise, drama will be coming in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Two Weeks Later

As Adam poured himself a cup of coffee, he couldn't help but smile. He had arrived at work early specifically to make sure everything got done so he could leave on time. He looked down at his phone. It was 8:30 AM. In ten hours, Kim was due to arrive at Adam's place. Her six weeks of no physical activity was up and Adam was determined to make good use of her new found freedom.

Since Boxing Day, Kim had spent more nights at Adam's than she had at her own place. Adam was surprised at how quickly he had gotten used to falling asleep with her in his arms and waking up with her in the morning. On the nights she wasn't with him, he found himself missing her.

In all the time they were together, they never took their relationship beyond heavy makeout sessions. Adam was the one who always stopped things before they went too far. Kim kept telling him that she was fine and that she was physically ready to move their relationship to the next level, but Adam insisted on waiting. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Even though his body was longing for hers, he kept himself under control. That control was about to break.

"Why are you so happy?" Halstead asked, walking in.

"I'm not," Adam replied, quickly wiping the smile off his face.

"Oh come on, the only time you're ever this happy is if…wait. Did you finally get laid last night?"

"That's none of your business."

"Well, that's a no then," Halstead said. "Are you and Kim still being celibate?"

"Only because we have to be," Adam muttered.

"I gotta hand it to you, man, I don't know how you've been doing it. I mean, Kim is hot. Like majorly hot."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Adam replied sarcastically.

"I can't imagine not being able to…be with a woman I've been dating."

"Yeah well, Kim's six weeks are up today. She finally got the all clear from her doctors. She went back on patrol today and…"

"Oohh…so that's what the smile is for," Halstead smirked. "You're getting laid tonight, huh?"  
"That's the plan."

"You sure you're not putting too much pressure on this?"

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"I mean, women aren't usually as driven by sex as men are. She just might not be as…into tonight as you are."

"Trust me, she's into it."

Halstead shrugged. "Well, just make sure you show her a good time and don't make it all about you."

"I know how to please a woman, Halstead."

"Alright, alright."

Adam took his coffee and headed to his desk. He knew Kim was as eager to become physical as he was, but Halstead had a point. It couldn't be all about sex. He couldn't just jump her bones the minute she walked in the door. Adam had to make it special.

On the way home after his shift, Adam decided the most romantic thing he could do for Kim was get takeout. He had already cooked Kim the one thing he knew how to make well and he didn't want to repeat himself. He also was running a little late and takeout was faster than the grocery store. With the bags of Thai food in his hand and a dozen red roses tucked under his arm, Adam walked into his house. He put the food down on the counter and went to get out a few candles for the table when the doorbell rang. Adam looked at the clock. It was only six o'clock. Kim wasn't due until 6:30. She told Adam she wanted the opportunity to go home, shower, and change after her shift.

Adam opened the door. Kim was standing in front of him, but she didn't look exactly the way he thought she might. Instead of wearing something sexy, she was still in her police uniform. She also didn't look very happy to see him.

"Hey," he said.

"I know I'm early," she replied.

"Just couldn't wait, huh?" He asked with a smile. She didn't smile in return.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Kim walked in only a few feet before she turned around to face him. She took a deep breath. He closed the door behind her.

"Look, Adam…"

"Is everything ok?" He asked. "If you're not ready for…whatever was going to happen tonight, we don't have to do anything that…"

"No. That's not it," Kim interrupted.

"Then what's going on?"

"Sergeant Voight came to visit me after my shift today."

"Voight? My Voight?"

"Yeah."

"What did he want?"

"Apparently he's…had his eye on me," she explained.

"Wait. Did Voight say something inappropriate to you? Did he try something? Because if he…"

"No," Kim answered quickly. "It wasn't like that at all. He had his eye on me as a police officer. I guess he's been paying attention to my career after I got shot. He was impressed with how I handled myself."

"Well, he should be. You saved my life."

"He asked me to join Intelligence," Kim stated.  
"What?"

"He said he's been looking to add another team member to Intelligence and he wants it to be me."

"You're joining Intelligence?" Adam asked.

"He offered it to me," she told him.

"That's great!" Adam moved in to hug her, but she put her hand out, stopping him. He was immediately confused. He couldn't think of anything better than not only being able to finally be with Kim, but to have her working with him.

"Voight also told me about his rules," Kim continued.

"His rules?"

"About relationships within the department."

"You mean the stupid rule Voight has against people dating in the department. If he finds out about us, he'll get over it."

" _If_ he finds out. Adam, he already knows. It's not like we were keeping our relationship a secret. Everyone in Intelligence knows. He's seen us at Molly's together. And I don't think he's going to just get over it. Why do you think he specifically told me about the rule in the first place? He's basically giving me an ultimatum, Adam. Intelligence or you."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I'd think about it and get back to him on Monday."

"So…we can spend all weekend in bed and then…" Adam took a step towards her, but she took a step back.

"I've already made my decision." A tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away.

Adam knew immediately what the tears meant. "You're choosing Intelligence."

"I'm sorry. I have to think about my career."

"Kim…" Adam began, hoping he'd be able to change her mind.

"This is an opportunity that few people get, Adam," she continued. "Especially female cops. It can take years on the street to get into a department like Intelligence. I can't just throw that away."

"You're not even willing to…to try to stay together? We can keep it a secret from Voight."

"I told you…he already knows about us."

"Then we'll stage a break up. We'll pretend we're not together. And eventually…eventually he'll come around. He…"

Kim shook her head. "I can't screw this up. And neither can you. I know how important Intelligence is to you, too."

"So…what? We're breaking up?"

She didn't answer his question. "We don't even know how long this relationship would last, Adam. I mean, it's only been six weeks. What if in another six weeks we decide we're both done and we've sacrificed our careers because of it?"

"After the incredible six weeks we've had, do you really think that's a possibility? Do you really think we're on the verge of ending this relationship any time soon?"

"I don't know, Adam. I can't tell the future. But I do know that I can't give up this opportunity."

"So we're just going to work together now and forget all the other stuff? Forget all those nights we spent talking. Forget about Boxing Day and takeout dinners and…"

"We can just be friends," she interrupted.

"Friends," Adam whispered, not liking the word.

"Look at it this way, we could have had sex tonight and it could have been really bad," she said. Adam scoffed, knowing that wasn't true. "You know, the kind of sex where you don't even want to look at the person the next morning. I mean, how awful would that have been?" She asked him with a forced smile.

"Yeah, you're right," he said even though he didn't believe it. After the incredible six weeks they spent together, bad sex wasn't possible. "It could have been really bad."

"Right. So really, we're doing ourselves a favor."

"Right."

"I really am sorry, Adam."

Kim reached up and unclasped her necklace. It was the birthstone necklace Adam had given her as a gift on Boxing Day.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She handed it out to him. "Maybe you can still return it."

"That was a gift," he stated.

"I know, but I'm sure it was expensive and given the circumstances…"

He took her hand and closed her fingers around the necklace. He wanted her to keep it. To remind her of all the good times they had.

"It was a gift," he repeated. "It's yours."

"Thank you," she whispered. She slipped the necklace into her pocket. Adam wondered if she would ever wear it again. "I guess…I guess I'll see you on Monday at work."

"Yeah."

Kim opened the door. She took one last look at him before leaving. Once the door was closed, Adam leaned his back against it. He wasn't angry with Kim. He knew she was just doing what was right for her, but that didn't make him feel any better. All he wanted to do was get drunk.

Adam took a taxi to Molly's bar. He knew that when he left he would be in no condition to drive home. He paid the taxi driver and charged into the building. Adam spotted Halstead immediately drinking a beer at the bar, chatting with the bartender. Adam trudged over to him and sat down at an empty stool beside him. He ordered a shot immediately.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Halstead asked. "I thought you were supposed to be making sweet love to that girlfriend of yours tonight."

"Yeah, well, she's not my girlfriend anymore," Adam mumbled.  
"What the hell happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Adam was beginning to wonder if he should have chosen a bar where he didn't know anyone. He wasn't in the mood to chat.

"You put too much pressure on the sex, didn't you?" Halstead questioned. "I told you not to do that, man. Women don't like that."

"I know what women like, ok?" Adam growled. "It had nothing to do with sex. Blame Voight."

"Wait…what? Kim slept with Voight?"

"What? No!"

"Then what the hell does this have to do with Voight?" Halstead wondered.

"Voight offered Kim a job in Intelligence."

"Oh."  
"Yeah."

The bartender delivered Adam's shot. He took it immediately, letting the liquid warm its way down his body. He immediately ordered a second.

"So…you two broke up because you're going to be working together?"

"You know Voight's rule. No relationships in Intelligence," Adam said, his every word dripping with annoyance.  
"Yeah, but I also know rules were made to be broken. Voight taught us that."

Adam sighed. "Kim doesn't want to chance it. This is a huge career move for her. I get it, I do…I would have done practically anything to get into Intelligence. And I know it's even harder as a female cop. It's just…"  
"You really wanted to have sex with her."

"No."

"You didn't want to have sex with her?" Halstead questioned.

"No. Yes…I do really want to have sex with her, but it's not just about that. I think the fact that we haven't been able to have sex is why I feel so connected to her, you know. All the time we would have spent having sex in a new relationship, we've spent talking and getting to know each other. I finally found someone I can really relate to. She understands what it means to be a cop. She's beautiful and sexy and laughs at all my jokes and…"

"Wow. You really like her."

Adam nodded. "I think I've fallen in love with her."  
"Did you tell her that?"

"How could I? She's finally getting what she wants in her career and the way she sees it, our relationship is the only thing standing in her way. I can't blame her for the choice she made."

"Maybe not, but you don't have to like it either."

"Which is why I plan on getting drunk tonight," Adam replied.

"What you need is to get laid. There are plenty of hot women here tonight."

Adam glanced around. There were a few women around the bar that caught his eye. One of them even winked at him when they made brief eye contact. Adam knew he could probably convince one of them to go home with him, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted Kim and no one else was going to suffice.

Author's Note: I promised there would be drama! Even though this story takes place out of the realm of the TV show, I wanted to sort of bring it back to problems they've had in the show. Hope you liked it! Don't forget to write a review – I love reading them! There will be more very soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Two days later

Adam sat on the edge of his bed in nothing but his boxers, his head buried in his hands. He had been awake for hours, tossing and turning. He glanced at the clock. It was just after 7:00. With little sleep and no desire to actually go to work, Adam started wondering if he should make up some excuse to not go in. He could call Voight and claim he had a stomach bug or that he had a family emergency. Any one of those would give him a full day of staying home. Voight probably wouldn't even question him since he had never taken advantage of his sick days before. But Adam knew that even if he did take the day off, he would just have the same problem the next day. No matter how long he put it off, he would have to face Kim sooner or later.

He and Kim hadn't spoken all weekend. Since they had broken up on Friday, they hadn't so much as texted each other. Adam had rehearsed dozens of speeches and had picked up his phone several times to call her, but he never actually did. He kept reminding herself that she had made up her mind. She chose Intelligence over him and he had to live with that. Instead he kept scrolling through the pictures he had taken of her on his phone. Some were while she wasn't paying attention. Those were his favorite. To him it was when she looked most beautiful.

Adam planted his feet on the ground and stood up. He made his way into his bathroom, practically tripping on dirty clothes that were on the ground in the hallway. Even though it had only been a few days since the breakup, Adam's house was already a disaster. After getting drunk Friday night, he came home and basically had lounged around all weekend. His kitchen was cluttered with empty take-out containers, his bedroom was full of dirty clothes that he couldn't bother to put in the hamper, and his bathroom was already disgusting. When Kim was around, Adam paid attention to the cleanliness of his home. Now that she wasn't, he didn't care.

Adam had tried to distract himself all weekend from thinking of her. He played every video game he owned. He watched countless hours of TV. He even flipped through an old magazine he found lying around. Nothing took his mind off of her. He couldn't stop thinking about the countless hours they had spent together. At night he hugged her pillow because it still smelled faintly like the shampoo she used. He even left the T-shirt she always wore to bed on top of the bureau so he could see it and remind himself of her.

After Adam turned the shower nozzle on to scalding hot and got undressed, he stepped into the shower. He let the hot water attack his body, hoping it would help prepare him for the day to come. All it did though was make him think of what Kim's wet, naked body would feel like under his fingertips. Taking a shower with her had become one of his fantasies in the six weeks they had been together, even though they had been forced to remain celibate. He was hoping he would be able to fulfill that fantasy over the weekend. He had been wrong. Just thinking about her that way made Adam turn the hot water to cold.

An hour later, Adam strode into the police station. He tried to walk right past the front desk unnoticed, but when he saw who was working, he knew he wasn't going to be so lucky. Nobody managed to slip by Platt.

"Hey, Ruzek, come here," Platt beckoned.

"Voight needs me upstairs, Sarg," he replied.

"You don't even have a case. Come here."

Adam sighed, but did as Platt ordered. Even though he didn't want to hear it from her, he knew there was a chain of command that had to be followed. If a sergeant gave you an order, you followed it.

"Is there something you need, Sarg?" Ruzek questioned.

"I heard your girlfriend's starting upstairs today," Platt said. Adam decided to ignore her statement about Kim being his girlfriend. He did not want to engage in the conversation. "You got Voight to bend his no dating rule for you, huh? What are you? Teacher's pet."

"Voight didn't bend the rules," Adam told her.

"What the hell does that mean? Wait…you and Burgess…you aren't seeing each other anymore?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"That is not how you speak to a sergeant, Officer Ruzek," Platt scolded.

"Sorry," Adam mumbled

"You two really broke up, huh?" Platt asked, her tone softening.

"Yeah."

"Sorry to hear that. You two made a cute couple."

"Thanks, Sarg."

Adam began walking away, wanting to just get the day over with.

"You know, I have a niece about your age who is single and ready to mingle," Platt yelled after him.

"I'm good. Thanks anyway, Sarg."

Adam didn't even turn around. He just headed right upstairs to Intelligence. He quickly scanned the room. He didn't see Kim, for which he was thankful. He made his way to his desk. Adam hoped he could get himself assigned some kind of duty so that maybe he could at least leave the office for the day and not have to spend hours sitting close enough to Kim to touch her, but know he couldn't.

"Kim's in with Voight," Halstead said, rolling his chair over to Adam's desk. "I guess he wanted to give her the low-down of how things work around here. You don't think Voight has a thing for her, do you?"

"Doesn't matter to me if he did," Adam answered even though it was a lie. If Voight did have a thing for Kim, Adam did not approve. He just couldn't say that out loud. "We broke up, remember?"

"Right. So, how'd the rest of your weekend go after you stumbled out of the bar drunk off your ass Friday night?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"That good, huh? I told you, you should have taken a woman home from the bar and gotten laid. You've got too much pent up sexual frustration."

Before Adam could reply to Halstead, the door to Voight's office opened. Voight and Kim stepped out. She was smiling. Even though she wasn't wearing anything fancy - just a pair of Jeans and a blue, V-neck top, Adam wanted to rip her clothes off her body right then and there. Just seeing her made all of his desires return.

"Everyone, I know you know Officer Kim Burgess. I'd like you to welcome her as the newest member of our team," Voight announced.

Everyone clapped and went over to Kim to congratulate her. Everyone, of course, except for Ruzek. He did his best to pretend hew as busy so he could ignore her. Lindsey walked over to Kim, welcomed her, and then helped her get settled at her new work space. It wasn't exactly a desk, but it would do. Adam was happy when he saw that it was as far from him as possible, or at least as far as you could get it a small room. Then again, she was closest to the break room which meant he would have to walk by her any time he wanted a cup of coffee. He made a mental reminder to start making his coffee at home.

"Ruzek, can I see you in my office?" Voight said, more as a command than a suggestion.

Adam trudged into Voight's office, knowing what was coming. He really didn't want to talk to his boss about his relationship, but it appeared he had no choice. Voight sat down behind his desk. Adam closed the door behind him and then stood in front of Voight.

"You remember that guy we busted a few weeks back?" Voight asked. "Gus Hope?"

"Yeah," Adam answered, clearly confused as to where the conversation was going. "Drugs, right?"

"Right. He just turned up dead in his cell. Bedsheet wrapped around his neck, hanging from the top bunk."

"Suicide?" Adam questioned.

"According to the guards, yes, but I'm not convinced. He had enemies in there. The prison will do their own investigation, but I want you and Olinsky to check it out. He's already on his way to the prison. You can meet him there. If Gus Hope was murdered, I want to know."

"Yes, sir." Adam stood in place. "Is that all?"

"Why? Is there something else we need to talk about?"

"No, sir," Adam replied.

Adam turned to leave.

"I heard that you and Burgess are no longer together. That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Voight asked.

Adam stared down at the ground. He thought he had managed to get out of Voight's office without talking about Kim, but he was wrong.

"No, sir."

"Glad to hear it. She's one of the good ones."

"Yeah, I know," Adam mumbled.

He walked out of the office before Voight could say anything else. As he made his way to his desk, he caught Kim's gaze. She gestured for him to meet her in the break room. Although his head told him to just keep walking and get out of the office as soon as possible, his heart told him that he wanted to see her and get to talk to her one-on-one. Adam nodded to her and followed her down the hall into the small break room.

"Hi," she said when they were out of earshot of everyone else.

"Hey."

"So…look…I just wanted to make sure that we're ok," she explained. "I don't want this to be…awkward."

"Why would it be awkward?" He retorted.

"Well, I just…we didn't really get a chance to talk about what the first day working together might be like and…"

"It's fine. I'm fine. Looks like you're fine, too. We're both fine. Is that all?"

"Adam, please don't be this way. I want us to be able to…"

"I don't know any other way to be," he interrupted. "We broke up, Kim. This job is more important to you than whatever we had. I get it. Let's not make it worse by talking about it. It's over and done."

She sighed. "Ok."

"I've got a job to do," he said.

"Be careful out there. We wouldn't want you walking into any banks with bank robbers."

She smiled, but he didn't. Instead, Adam turned and left. As he made his way down the stairs and out of the station, he had to fight the urge to punch the wall. He was frustrated and it wasn't just because he hadn't had sex in months. It was because he was in love with a woman he couldn't have. He knew he shouldn't have been so gruff with her in the break room. He knew she was just trying to make their situation work, but he didn't want to just make it work. He wanted to be with her and that wasn't an option. It was more than frustrating.

After getting a car assigned to him by Platt, who thankfully didn't ask him any more questions, Adam took off for the prison. As he drove, he thought about his past relationships. There had been a girl in high school he thought he was in love with, but he later learned that at such a young age, he didn't really know what love was. Then there were a few flings and summer romances in his late teens. The most serious relationship he was ever in was a woman he dated for two years while he was in the police academy. She was not too fond of his dangerous job. He told her he loved her many times throughout their relationship, but after meeting Kim, he realized her had never really meant it. He had said it because he felt obligated to say it. With Kim, there was no obligation. She had never said it to him, but he wanted to say it to her. The only problem was, he was too late.

Author's Note: This was basically an add-on chapter. It was not in my original story idea, but I wanted to add in some more about how Adam was feeling about the whole breakup. Hope you liked it. The next chapter (with a little more drama!) should be along soon!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Four weeks later

Adam felt like he was being tortured. He was forced to work with Kim every day, but he had to keep their relationship strictly professional. The good news was, she had fit into the Intelligence team remarkably well. She got along with everyone and her instincts were spot on. If it weren't for the fact that Adam wanted to jump her bones and get her naked every time he saw her, he would have had no problem welcoming her as the newest member of the team. For the most part, Adam tried to avoid her, but that was difficult considering the team worked so closely together. Kim tried to remain pleasant with him, but he could sense that she was having as much difficulty being near him as he was being near her. Clearly being friends was not going to be as easy as they thought.

After closing a particularly difficult case, the entire team was out for drinks at Molly's. Adam was sitting at a high-top table with Halstead. Kim was at the bar chatting with a fireman Adam didn't recognize. He was young, attractive, and clearly interested in Kim. Adam was not happy about it.

"You should just go talk to her," Halstead said.

"What? Who?" Adam asked, feigning innocence.

"Kim."

"I talk to her almost every day at work," Adam stated, trying to end the conversation.

"Yeah, you talk to her about cases and suspects and evidence. You need to really talk to her. Tell her how you feel," Halstead urged.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can deny it all you want, but I see it in your face. You're not over her."

Adam sighed, knowing Halstead was right. "She made her choice. She chose Intelligence. She chose her career over me. It's over."

"Well, then maybe you need to force yourself to move on," Halstead said. "It looks like she has."

Ruzek noticed Halstead was staring in Kim's direction. Adam looked over. She had gone from talking to the guy next to her to clearly flirting. She threw her hair back and laughed.

"Yeah, you're right."

With his beer in his hand, Adam made his way over to the bar. He grabbed a stool a few people away from Kim. He could hear her conversation.

"So…are you going to the fundraiser tomorrow?" The firefighter beside Kim said.

"I was thinking about it," Kim answered.

"Would you like to go together?"

"Sounds great," Kim replied.

Adam nearly choked on his beer. He knew they were no longer together and she had the right to go out with whoever she wanted, but it didn't mean he had to be thrilled about it. He and Kim had talked about going to the fundraiser together back when they were still a couple. Obviously since they were separated, he knew that was no longer an option. It was a semi-formal dinner co-sponsored by the police and fire departments. They did it annually to raise money for sick kids. Although Adam supported the cause, up until that moment, he had no intention of going. The last thing he wanted was to see Kim all dressed up, looking beautiful, but knowing he couldn't be with her. As soon as he heard Kim accept the firefighter's proposal, though, Adam decided that Halstead was right. He had to move on and there was no time like the present.

Adam asked the bartender for a shot of whiskey. He downed the shot, letting the liquid burn its way from his throat to his stomach. He looked around the bar with only one thought on his mind. His eyes fell on a young blonde in the corner. Adam recognized her. Her name was Charlene Radigan. She was a fellow police officer. Adam had consulted with her briefly on a case and she had showed interest in him. He hadn't reciprocated because he was with Kim, but he decided it was time he did. As Adam stood up, Kim glanced over at him. He practically glared at her before he made his way over to Charlene.

"Hey," Adam said. "Charlene, right?"

"Yeah. Right," she answered. "Nice to see you again, Adam."

"Yeah, you too. So…listen, I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the fundraiser with me tomorrow."

"You want to go with me?" Charlene asked.

"Yeah. You know, it can be pretty lame, but it's for a good cause. So…what do you say?"

"Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint all of those sick kids," Charlene said with a flirtatious smile on her face.

"Right."

"Ok, sure," she accepted. "Let's do it."

"Great. I can pick you up if you want."

"I'm on shift tomorrow. How about I meet you there?" Charlene replied.

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow Adam," she added with another cheesy smile.

"I'm looking forward to it," Adam lied.

Adam looked over at Kim. She had been staring at him, but she quickly looked away from him when he caught her. She had obviously been watching him even though the firefighter was talking her ear off. Adam decided to give her a show. He leaned down and kissed a very unsuspecting Charlene. When the kiss was over, he immediately regretted it. Charlene began speaking to him, but he tuned her out. Instead he turned around just in time to see Kim leaving the bar.

The next day

As Adam looked around the room, his thoughts were far from the woman standing beside him. Adam couldn't deny that Charlene Radigan looked beautiful in her red, knee-length dress. She did, however, have on too much makeup for his liking. But it wasn't the makeup that made Adam wish he was there with someone else. It was the fact that Charlene Radigan wasn't Kim. Even the most beautiful woman in the world couldn't make Adam stop looking for Kim because to him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Want to find a table?" Charlene asked.

Adam finally brought his attention back to her.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Charlene grabbed on to his arm, a gesture Adam didn't really feel comfortable with, but he went along with it. They walked through the dozens of other police officers and firefighters and other members of government who attended the fundraiser every year. It was semi-formal so the majority of the guys were in suits and the majority of the women were in cocktail dresses. Adam nodded hello to the people he recognized, but otherwise stayed quiet. He just wanted to find Kim, although he didn't know why. What was the point of finding her? To make her jealous that he was there with Charlene? To drive another dagger into his heart when he saw her with the firefighter? To try to sweep her off her feet to win her back? Adam tried not to think about it. The bottom line was, he wanted to see her and that was that.

"Are these seats taken?" Charlene asked.

"Ahh...well…"

Adam recognized her voice anywhere. He turned around and saw Kim and the firefighter sitting at a round banquet table set for six. Beside Kim and her date, there were already four other spots taken. There were only two chairs left, right beside Kim.

"We can find somewhere else," Adam said. Suddenly his desire to see Kim was overtaken by the fear of being right next to her for the entire evening. He didn't know if he'd be able to behave for that long.

"Don't be silly," the firefighter said. "There's plenty of room."  
"Great, thanks!" Charlene exclaimed a little too happily. She sat down, leaving the seat next to Kim empty. Adam sat beside her, afraid to make eye contact. He did, however, manage to notice how attractive she was. With her hair pinned back in a fancy bun, her shoulders bare with her black, strapless dress, and just a hint of makeup on, she was flawless.

"I'm Steve," the firefighter said. He politely shook hands with Charlene across the table.

"Charlene," she replied.

"Nice to meet you." Steve reached around Kim to shake Adam's hand, but Adam ignored him. If he shook the man's hand, he was liable to break it.

"This is Adam," Kim spoke up.

"Nice to have you join us, Adam," Steve said pleasantly. Adam didn't reply, already hating him.

Charlene began to make polite conversation with the others at the table, leaving Adam to feel even more awkward just sitting there, not knowing what to say. He couldn't help but listen in on the conversation Steve and Kim were having.

"So, it must be hard to be a female cop," Steve said.

"Being in the minority can have its challenges, but it's worth it," Kim replied.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm all for equality, but there are just some things that women can't do, you know what I'm saying?" Steve continued.

"I'm sorry. I don't," Kim responded.

"Well, if you had to take down a suspect or something. You know, like a big dude. I just think a man would do better. Take a female firefighter, for example. She can't carry as much as I can. If I were stuck in a burning building, I sure as hell would rather a guy come up after me than a woman even if she was hot as hell like you. So I'm not saying girls can't be firefighters or cops. I'm just saying, you have to really think about it."

"Kim's an amazing cop," Adam jumped in, unable to stop himself. "You'd be lucky if she came to your rescue."

"Well, yeah, I mean a hottie like her comes walking up and the bad guys would drop their weapons immediately, am I right?" Steve joked.

"Let me tell you something…" Adam began, ready to jump to Kim's defense even though he didn't quite know why he was defending her. She had chosen to leave Adam and she had chosen to go to the fundraiser with Steve.

"Steve, is that you?" Someone said. They all turned to see an older man approaching the table. Steve stood up and hugged the man.

"Ralph, it's so good to see you. It's been years, man."

"Can't believe you're a real firefighter, kid."

"I did it, Ralph, just like I always said I would. Kim, this is Ralph Peters. He was my mentor when I was a kid. He taught me everything there is to know about being a man."

Adam rolled his eyes. With the way Steve was talking to Kim, he had a lot to learn about being a man.

"Come on, let me buy you a drink," Ralph said.

"Kim, do you mind if I spend a few minutes with my oldest friend?" Steve asked.  
"Of course not," she answered. Adam was beginning to sense that she was as interested in talking to Steve as he was.

"Want me to bring you a drink?" Steve offered.

"No, I'm fine," Kim answered.

"Alright, then. I'll be right back."

Ralph and Steve walked away, heading towards the bar. Adam knew he should offer to get Charlene a drink, but she was deep in conversation with a fellow officer at their table who worked in her department, so he decided to let it go.

"So…" Adam began, knowing he had to break the ice with Kim. They couldn't ignore each other for the whole night.

"Look, we should be able to sit next to each other at a dinner without it being a problem. I mean, we work together for goodness sake," Kim exclaimed.

"I was just going to say that you look nice."

He could see her cheeks turning pink. "Thank you."

Adam tapped Charlene on the shoulder. He had to get away from Kim or he was afraid he would say something he might regret.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Adam asked.

"I'll take a martini," Charlene answered.

"I'll be right back."

He stood up without saying another word to Kim. Adam made his way to the bar. Steve and Ralph were standing at the bar, each sipping a beer. Adam got the bartender's attention and ordered Charlene's martini and a beer for himself. He stood back and waited, trying to ignore Steve and Ralph.

"So…tell me what else has been going on," Ralph said to Steve. "Anyone special in your life?"

"I'm just having fun right now," Steve answered. "You know, playing the field."

"That's my boy."

"Take the chick I'm with tonight. She's a cop. I've had my eye on her at the bar for weeks. Tonight's gonna be the night I take her to bed."

Ralph laughed. "Good luck with that. She's hot, I'll give you that."

"Yeah. It's just too bad she got shot a few months ago," Steve explained.

"Shot?"

"In the stomach, I think. I'm just hoping it doesn't…interfere, you know. Like she doesn't have some nasty, gaping hole in her."

"Just turn the lights out, son, and it won't matter," Ralph said. "I thought I taught you that when you were a teenager."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, you did."

The two men chuckled like they both said the funniest thing they had ever heard. Adam was disgusted. Just as he was about to storm back to the table and tell Kim she shouldn't be with such a low-life, Charlene Radigan walked up, slipping her arms around Adam's waist.

"Hey," he said, startled.

"Just came to check on you."

"I'm still waiting on the drinks," he replied, not liking the fact that she hadn't removed her arms from around him. She was not who he wanted to be with.

"I'm famished. Let's get something to eat."

"Ok."

Adam glanced over at the table. Ralph and Steve had finished their conversation and Steve was back at the table with Kim. He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her to the dance floor, his arm around her waist the whole time. Adam's blood was boiling.

An hour later, Adam had barely touched his food. Charlene was off chatting with female friends at another table. She had basically ignored him since they got their food, which he realized was his own fault. She had tried to engage him in polite conversation, but he wasn't interested. He barely paid any attention to her at all. His eyes were transfixed on Kim and Steve, still twirling around the dance floor.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kim slipped out of Steve's grasp. Adam watched her excuse herself and head off to the back of the room. He guessed she was heading to the bathroom. Knowing it was his chance to get her alone, he followed her. She was making her way down a long, hallway. The bathrooms were in the back.

"Kim," Adam said just as she had her hand on the door to the women's restroom.

She turned around, obviously startled. Adam got closer to her, happy that the hallway was deserted.

"Adam? Did you…did you follow me to the bathroom?" She asked.

"No…I…Yes, yes I did."

"Why?"

"Because there's something you need to know about Steve."

"Look, I'm sorry that you are having a terrible time with Charlene, but that doesn't mean you can corner me on my way to the bathroom and bash my date."

"That's not what I'm doing," he denied.

"Then what are you doing?"

"Trying to warn you," he sated.

"Warn me? About what?"

"That Steve doesn't care about you. He only wants to sleep with you."

If the news shocked Kim, she didn't show it.

"You think I don't know that? That's generally what men want, Adam. I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself."

"He's not a good guy, Kim."

"And how would you know that? You haven't said more than two words to him. You've just spent the entire night being moody and barely talking to anyone. I'm sorry that you're jealous because I'm with Steve and not with you, but he's a nice guy, Adam and you and I are not together anymore."

Adam was angry. He was trying to do the right thing, but Kim was making it impossible. He decided he was done. As Halstead said, he had to let her go.

"Well, don't be surprised if 'nice guy' Steve turns into a jerk when he sees that scar on your stomach."

Kim gasped. Her lip began to tremble. Adam immediately realized what he said and how it sounded.

"You bastard," she said, barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He stepped towards her, but she stepped back. She clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

"Go back to your date, Adam," she sneered.

"No, Kim. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry. I heard Steve talking to his friend and they were talking about you and he made a comment about you being shot and…"

"I don't want to hear anymore," she interrupted. "I trusted you. I showed you…"

"You know I think you're beautiful," Adam interrupted. "You know how I feel about you. Kim, please…I didn't mean it. I'm just trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection. I never did."

Kim pushed open the door to the bathroom, leaving Adam alone. Adam knew he could follow her if he really wanted to, but he chose not to. He had messed up and now he had to face the consequences.

Author's Note: So, I've been working on this chapter for a while. I just needed a little more angst to move the story forward. Hope you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Later that night

Adam couldn't let it go. He had spent the rest of the night at the fundraiser ignoring Charlene and thinking about the mistakes he had made with Kim. His biggest mistake was that he should never have let her break up with him in the first place. He should have fought for her. He should have told her he loved her and begged her to stay with him. Of course not taking those steps was what had led to things spiraling out of control at the fundraiser.

When Adam had told Kim that Steve, the young-faced firefighter she went to the fundraiser with, wasn't going to like the scar on her stomach, he hadn't meant it the way she interpreted it. Even after she had shown him her scar, he never thought that she was anything less than beautiful. He thought exactly the opposite of what she thought he meant. He thought she was most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she hadn't stuck around long enough for him to explain that. She had stormed off angrily, which Adam couldn't blame her for.

Later in the night Adam had watched as Kim and Steve walked out of the fundraiser arm in arm, laughing. Adam was powerless to stop them even though he knew Steve was an asshole who didn't even deserve to be in Kim's presence. Over an hour after Kim and Steve left, Adam walked an angry Charlene Radigan to her car. He didn't even pretend to be interested in her anymore and Charlene sensed it. Adam knew that he hadn't been fair to Charlene, but he also knew that he had to talk to Kim and he didn't want to wait. Adam drove to her apartment immediately, ready to say all of the things he should have said before they broke up.

When he arrived, Adam knocked on her apartment door and waited. He listened, hoping to hear her coming towards the door. He heard nothing. Adam knocked again. Suddenly the fear that Kim might be spending the night with Steve at his place spread through him. Just thinking about her being with him made his blood curl and made him want to punch the wall. He was jealous, plain and simple.

Before Adam could knock a third time on the door, he heard noises from inside. It sounded like someone was walking around. Knowing that Kim was home helped him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Kim," he shouted through the closed door. "Open the door." There was no response. "I know you're angry with me. Please, let me explain."

Adam stopped and listened. He heard the sound of a male voice. Kim wasn't alone. She was with Steve. Adam couldn't help it as his jealousy crept back in. He knew there was nothing he could do. Kim had made her choice again. She was with Steve and that was all there was to it.

As Adam stood outside her door, unable to move, he decided the worst part was that he knew he had driven her into Steve's arms with the comment he had made at the fundraiser. It was his fault she had brought him home. He would have to live with that for the rest of his life.

Adam turned around to leave when he heard the sound of glass shattering from inside Kim's apartment. He immediately went on high alert. He heard the sound of Kim yelling, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He knew she wasn't in the middle of throws of passion. She was in trouble.

Adam didn't stop to think. He threw his shoulder into Kim's door. It didn't budge. His shoulder ached, but he didn't care. He wished he had his gun so he could just shoot the lock off, but he didn't have it with him.

"Kim!" Adam shouted. He heard a muffled cry in response.

More determined than ever, Adam geared up to kick down the door. It took him two swift kicks before the door finally detached. It went crashing in with a loud bang. Ignoring the broken door, Adam rushed in. Kim was on the floor in the middle of the living room, Steve on top of her. She was struggling against him, but he had her arms pinned over her head. She was clearly losing the fight. He had to have at least fifty pounds on her. Adam raced towards them and yanked Steve off of her. Adam hauled him to his feet, holding one arm painfully behind him.

"Get off me!" Steve shouted, struggling to get out of Adam's grasp. Adam wasn't about to let go.

"I should kill you," Adam snarled, rage ripping through him.

Kim scrambled to her feet and stood upright. She disappeared into her bedroom and reappeared a moment later with her gun. She pointed it straight at Steve.

"You won't shoot me," the firefighter said with a calmness in his voice that made Adam wish Kim would just shoot him.

"Try me," Kim replied.

"You can pretend all you want that you didn't want this to happen, but that's a lie. You wanted me. You pranced around in that skimpy little dress all night and then invited me into your apartment and then you tried to say no. Nobody says no to me. It doesn't work that way, sweetheart."

"Say another word and you die," Kim stated.

Adam watched her carefully. Despite what she had just been through, she was calm and ready to do whatever she needed to do. It was like Adam was watching a master at work. He fell in love with her a little more in that moment.

"I bet you weren't worth it anyway," Steve sneered. "You and that hideous scar."

Adam tugged on Steve's arm. They both heard a bone snap. Adam had broken his arm on purpose. The firefighter screamed in agony. Adam didn't stop there. He spun him around and punched him hard in the face. Steve fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding nose with his good arm.

"You bastard," Steve snarled. "You broke my arm!"

"You're lucky that's all I did," Adam replied, watching him writhe around on the floor. He looked at Kim. "We should take him in. Charge him with assault and attempted rape."

"No," Kim replied. "He learned his lesson."

"Kim…" Adam began, hating the idea that the man would walk free. Steve deserved to be punished and a broken arm and bloody nose didn't seem like enough. If Adam had it his way, he would shoot him on the spot for what he had done to Kim. It was taking everything in him not to strangle him while he was down on the floor.

"Let him go," Kim stated.

As Steve got to his feet, Adam walked right up to him. He grabbed onto his broken arm, causing him tremendous pain, and pushed him up against the wall. Steve moaned and Adam got right in his face.

"You go near her again and I won't hesitate to kill you," he warned.

Steve nodded. Adam watched him as he scampered out of Kim's apartment. Adam walked over to the door he had barged through and tried his best to prop it back into place. Thankfully it didn't sustain too much damage from Adam kicking it in. Just the lock was broken. When he was sure the door was secure enough, Adam turned his attention to Kim. She had put her gun down on the couch and was staring down at the floor.

"You alright?" Adam asked, walking towards her.

"I'm fine," she answered.

Adam picked up the gun and moved it securely to the kitchen counter.

"There's no bullets in it," she told him. "I thought if I got the bullets, I might really shoot him."

"Maybe you should have," Adam said with a small smile.

Adam took her hands gently in his and led her to the couch. He sat her down gently and looked her over. Her wrists were red from where Steve had restrained her. Her lip was bloodied. A bruise was forming on her cheek.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital," he suggested.

"I'm fine, Adam," she repeated. "Just a few bumps and bruises."

Adam went into the kitchen and brought back an ice pack. He sat down beside her on the couch and gently pressed the ice pack against her swollen lip. She thanked him quietly. Adam looked around. He saw a broken wine glass on the floor in the middle of the living room. Her wooden end table was broken with several pieces strewn around the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asked.

Adam realized with everything that had happened, he hadn't explained his presence.

"I came to apologize to you for what I said at the fundraiser. I didn't mean it, Kim. Not the way it sounded."

"I know," she said.

"I would never say what you thought I said to you. I just knew that Steve wasn't a good guy. He's the one who made the comment about your scar, Kim. I overhead him at the bar with that guy Ralph. I was just trying to warn you."

"You don't have to explain. I get it now." She paused. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"If you hadn't come here to apologize…if you hadn't come in when you did, he could have…" she trailed off.

"But he didn't and I did come here and you're going to be ok."

"I know." She looked down at the floor. "I was stupid for letting him in my apartment in the first place."

"You can't blame yourself," Adam said and he meant it.

"The warning bells kept going off in my mind, but I...I let him in anyway."

"What happened?" Adam asked.

Kim sighed. "He drove me home and walked me to the door and I...I let him in. I thought I wanted this...I thought I could just have some fun. I thought I could sleep with him and not care, but then, when he kissed me, it just felt so wrong that I pushed him away. But he clearly didn't listen. I told him no over and over again, but he kept persisting. I…I dropped my wine glass and it shattered and then I tried to run for my gun, but he grabbed me and shoved me and I fell and broke the table." Adam knew that explained the crash he heard. "Then he was on top of me and I couldn't get away. He was just too strong. I should never have let him in. I should have known, but...I didn't think he'd try to...rape me."

"I'm sorry," Adam said.

A tear rolled down Kim's cheek. Adam brushed it away with his thumb.

"It's not your fault," she assured him. " I was the one who let him in. I'm smarter than that, Adam. I'm a cop, for goodness sake. I know what can happen. I should have known that he would…"

"Look at me," Adam said. When she didn't turn her head, he brushed her cheek with his fingers. She finally met his eyes. "This is not your fault. You wouldn't have gone home with him if it wasn't for me."

The way Kim looked at him, he knew it was true. Even though she had accepted Steve's invitation to the fundraiser first, it was seeing Adam with Charlene Radigan and the comment he made in the hallway that had prompted Kim to take Steve home. Adam knew it was his fault.

"That's not true," she whispered.

"I only invited Charlene to the fundraiser because I saw you talking to Steve's at Molly's."

"You kissed her at Molly's," Kim pointed out.

"Because I wanted to make a statement. Because I wanted to make you as jealous as I felt. I didn't want to kiss her. Hell, I didn't want to even be at the fundraiser with her."

"You didn't?"

"No, of course not," he answered quickly. "I wanted to be there with you."

"Adam…" She began.

"Why did we break up?"

"What?"

"Why did we break up?" He repeated.

"Because Voight…"

"Yeah, because of Voight. Because of Voight and our careers and Intelligence. We broke up for all the wrong reasons. I've never stopped having feelings for you, Kim. And I think you feel the same way," he said.

She nodded. "You're right."

"So what are we doing?"

"If we're together, we can't both be in Intelligence," she said.

"Why not? Let Voight come down on us. We're both too valuable to let go. I will march into his office tomorrow and tell him I love you and nothing he can say or do will change that." Kim was smiling. She took the ice pack from her swollen lip. Adam couldn't figure out why she was looking at him the way that she was. "What?"

"You said you loved me."

He nodded, finally realizing what he said.. "Yeah, I did. I do. I love you. I should have told you that instead of agreeing to this ridiculous breakup. Being with you at work these last few weeks, but not actually being able to _be_ with you, has been torture. I can't be near you and not want you."

"What if Voight does let one of us go, Adam? He has his rules for a reason. Could we live with that or would one of us always be resenting the other? We can't build a relationship like that."

"I'll volunteer to leave," Adam said.  
"What?"

"If Voight says one of us has to go, then I'll tell him it's going to be me. He can help me get into another unit and…"

"No," she protested. "I can't let you do that. You'd hate me."

Adam took her hand in his. He gently lifted her wrists up to his lips and placed a light kiss on each wrist where Steve had left a mark.

"I could never hate you. Let me do this for you. Let me do this for us."

Kim nodded. "Ok, but I'm only agreeing because Voight would be stupid to lose you."

"I agree," he said with a smile. "We'll go into his office first thing in the morning."

"Ok," she replied.

Still holding onto her hand, he entwined his fingers with hers. She smiled at him. It was a seductive smile that Adam hoped he was reading correctly.

"What's that look for?" He asked.

"Why don't you kiss me and find out?" She replied flirtatiously.

Adam leaned in closer, but stopped just centimeters from her lips.

"We're not just going to have another sleepover, are we?" He asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "But this time we're going to be naked."

Adam crashed his lips into hers. They kissed hard and fast as if they would never get the chance to kiss again. Their hands groped each other, tugging at unwanted pieces of clothing. As Kim stood up to unzip her dress, Adam stopped her. He did not want their first time to be on the couch. He wanted to take her to bed so that he could fall asleep beside her and wake up with her the next morning.

"What are you…" Kim began.

Adam silenced her when he swept her off her feet, picking her up bridal style. She giggled and looped her arms around his neck. As he walked her to the bedroom, she kissed the exposed skin of his neck.

"If you keep that up, I'm going to drop you," he said.

Adam brought her over to the bed and laid her down gently. She propped herself up on her elbows and Adam climbed on top of her.

"Wait…" she said, putting her hand against his chest.

Adam's heart sank. Although he would always respect her wishes, the last thing he wanted to do was stop.

"If what happened with Steve is too much for you right now, we can wait," he said even though he really didn't want to. Adam noticed her wipe away a tear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Did I hurt you?"

"No. These are happy tears. It's just...you're amazing. With everything that happened, I don't deserve you."

"That's not true," Adam replied. "I'm the one who doesn't deserve you."

"I love you," she said.

He smiled. "I love you, too."

"Now that we have that settled...make love to me."

"Gladly."

They didn't talk for the rest of the night.

Author's Note: Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their make-up! These are always my favorite things to write. Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next morning

Adam woke up with a smile on his face. He slowly opened his eyes. Kim was right beside him, her head using his bare chest as a pillow. He had his arms wrapped around her, their legs entwined. Adam sighed, contently. He couldn't think of a better way to wake up. He brushed a stray hair away from her face and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She began to stir.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," she replied sleepily.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Amazingly. You?"

"Never better," he answered. "I've missed waking up next to you these last few weeks."

"Me too," she agreed.

"Are you feeling ok? Are you in any pain?"

She lifted her head up to look down at him. "None."

"Good because I want to do that again and often," he said.

"We already did it again last night. And again and again…"

She leaned down and kissed him. Adam rolled them both so he was on top of her, their kisses deepening. His hand slipped below the covers, trailing down her naked body. He felt the scar from the gunshot beneath his fingertips. It made her even more beautiful and he reminded her of that throughout the night. Eventually his hand came to rest at her hip. She giggled, his fingertips tickling her bare skin.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered into her ear. As his hands wandered, he could feel her body responding to his. He couldn't believe how he had gone his whole life without her. Making love to her only proved how much they were meant to be together. She matched him better than any other woman he had ever been with before and he guessed she felt the same way about him. He couldn't get enough of her and he hoped she couldn't get enough of him.

At first he had been cautious with her, not wanting to push her too far. She had, of course, been shot and was still recovering. She also had gone through a traumatic experience with Steve and Adam didn't want her to feel like he was pressuring her into anything. He quickly learned, though, that he didn't need to be so careful. For the most part, she had been the one egging him on for more. He loved that about her just as he loved so many other things.

"We should get up," Kim whimpered as Adam's hand continued its assault on her body.

"What's your hurry?" He replied. He began kissing her neck and she moaned.

"We're going to be late," she gasped.

"Well, we wouldn't want that."

Adam gave her one last, long kiss. He climbed out of bed, giving Kim a good look at his toned, nude body. She looked slightly disappointed that he had stopped seducing her even though she was the one who had put a stop to it.

Adam walked slowly off into the bathroom. He turned the shower on and then poked his head back into the bedroom. Kim couldn't read his expression.

"What is it?" She asked.

"What better way to make sure we won't be late than to shower together," he suggested. "And we can save water."

Kim smiled and got out of bed.

"I like the way you think."

She walked over to him, looping her arms around his neck. Adam scooped her up and carried her into the shower with him.

A half hour later, Kim emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of Jeans and T-shirt. Her hair was wet from the shower, her skin smelling like some intoxicating dessert Adam just wanted to gobble up. It was incredibly sexy. Adam was at her kitchen table, just dishing out some scrambled eggs he had whipped up. With nothing else to wear except the clothes he was in the night before, he was just in his boxer shorts and a pink, frilly apron. Kim couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him.

"And what is so funny?" He asked sarcastically with a smile on his face.

"You're going to have to keep some clothes here," she replied.

"Complaining about the view?" He retorted, taking the apron off and throwing it into the kitchen. He missed the kitchen counter completely and it fell to the floor. Kim giggled.

"No. The view is lovely," Kim commented as she walked towards him. She put her hands on his chest.

"Cold hands!" He exclaimed, taking her hands in his.

"You're going to catch a cold walking around like that. It's still winter."

"You're all I need to stay warm, babe."

She smiled. "I like the sound of that."

Adam kissed her on the lips lightly.

"Dig in before it gets cold."

They both sat down. Adam had prepared breakfast just the way Kim liked it. She had half a glass of orange juice and half a glass of water to go along with her scrambled eggs that had just a hint of cheese mixed in.

"You didn't have to do this," she said.

"I wanted to."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

As they ate, Adam couldn't take his eyes off of her. Just 24 hours earlier, they had been as distant as two people could be. Now they were as close as any couple could be and Adam wanted it to stay that way.

"I was thinking…" Kim began.

"Uh-oh," Adam replied. "Something tells me we're about to get serious."

"You can't quit, Adam."

"Quit? Quit what?" He asked even though he knew what she was getting at. It went back to the conversation they had the night before.

"Intelligence. You can't quit Intelligence. I won't allow it."

"Kim, we talked about this last night. We can't keep this relationship a secret from Voight and I'm not willing to break up again for the sake of my job. If Voight won't let us work together, I'm leaving. End of story."

"That's not the end of the story."

"Yes, it is."

"No, Adam. It can't be." She took a deep breath. "We'll both quit. If Voight says one of us has to go, then we'll both leave the team."

He shook his head. "No."

"Adam…"

"That's crazy," he interrupted. "We can't both quit. You deserve to be on that team, Kim."  
"And so do you. Maybe if we stick together, he'll realize that he doesn't want to lose either of us and he'll bend the rules a little. We have to go in together, Adam. We have to be solid on this. It's the only way this relationship has a chance of working. If you agree to leave or if I do, we'll just resent each other and I don't want to live with that. I can't live that way and neither can you."

"You thought about this a lot didn't you?"

"I couldn't stop thinking about it last night."

"If I remember, we were a little preoccupied last night," he said.

"I'm a good multitasker." She smiled. "You know this is the only way, Adam."

He sighed, knowing she was right. Although he was more than willing to give up his spot on Intelligence for the sake of their relationship, he knew that eventually it would come back to ruin them. They had to be united. They had to face Voight together and both suffer the consequences if it came to that.

"Ok," he finally said.

"So, we're agreed," she clarified. "We'll go into Voight's office today, tell him about our relationship, and both quit if he can't accept it."

Adam nodded. "We're agreed."

"Good."

"He won't lose us both," Adam said, even though he wasn't sure if he actually believed that himself. He knew they were both risking a lot to be together, but he didn't want in any other way. She was worth a hell of a lot more than his job.

"I hope not," Kim replied.

Adam could clearly see that Kim was losing hope. Neither of them knew if, by the end of the day, they'd still have the jobs they both loved.

"I love you," Adam said, reaching across the table and holding her hand. He needed her to know that. He needed her to know that their relationship was worth losing everything.

She smiled. "I love you, too."

"Then nothing can stand in our way."

"Well, there is one thing," she said.

"What's that?"

"You can't go to Voight's office looking like that."

Adam smiled. "Who knows, maybe he'll like the view too."

"Come on. If we don't get going, we're both going to be late."

"I guess the last thing we want to do is piss Voight off," Adam added.

As Kim stood up to clear the dishes, Adam grabbed her arm and tugged on it. She fell onto his lap. He stifled her surprised gasp with a kiss.

"We're going to be late," Kim warned.

"Not if we make it a quickie."

Kim giggled as he showed her yet again just how much he loved her.

After Adam stopped home to change, he and Kim made their way to the police station. They were a little late, but they hoped no one would notice. They made a statement of walking in together, side by side, although nobody seemed to notice. Platt wasn't at the desk to comment so they were able to walk right up to Intelligence. Halstead and Dawson were already at their desks doing the never ending pile of paperwork that always seemed to loom over them all. Lindsey walked out of the break room with a cup of coffee. Everybody said their hello's like it was a normal day. Instead of stopping at their desks, though, Adam and Kim went right to Voight's office. The door was open. Voight was sitting at his desk, typing something on his computer. They booth exchanged a look, knowing it was now or never. Adam knocked and Voight looked up.

"Ruzek. Burgess," Voight greeted.

"Could we have a minute of your time?" Burgess asked.

"Sure. Come on in."

Adam and Kim stepped inside. Adam closed the door. They did not need everyone in the office to hear what was going on, especially if things didn't work out to their advantage.

"What's going on?" Voight asked.

"Sir, as I'm sure you're aware, Kim and I were in a relationship before she came to work for Intelligence," Adam explained.

"I heard the rumors," Voight said.

"But we broke up when I found out I would be working with your team," Kim continued.

"You know I have a no tolerance policy for officers dating within the department," Voight told them.

Adam glanced over at Kim. She nodded, giving him the encouragement he needed to say what they had gone there to say.

"The truth is, sir, that we have been apart for these last few weeks, but we can't do it anymore," Adam said.

"What are you telling me?" Voight questioned.

"I'm telling you, sir, that I love this woman," Adam stated. "I love her more than my job."

"And I love him," Kim added. "And we're both willing to leave this department if that's what has to happen."

Voight looked back and forth between them.

"So…you've both thought this through I take it?" Voight questioned.

"Yes, sir," Adam answered.

"And although neither of us wants to leave, we will if that's what it comes down to," Kim added.

"We understand why you have the no dating policy, Sarg, but this isn't just about dating. This isn't some one night stand. I love her and she loves me. It goes way beyond dating."

"And we met long before I was a member of Intelligence," Kim added even though she didn't really know if it helped their case.

"I see," Voight said. There was a long pause. Adam and Kim glanced at each other and then looked back at Voight. "Is that all? Because if it is, you two can get back to work."

"I'm sorry…what?" Kim replied. That was not the reaction she was expecting.

"I said is that all because we just got a new case that needs our immediate attention," Voight explained.

"So…you're not going to let us go?" Adam wondered. "You're not going to transfer one of us to another department?"

"Both of us," Kim corrected. "We've decided that one of us won't stay without the other."

"Solidarity. I like that," Voight responded. "You two aren't going anywhere."

"But, sir…" Kim began.

"Would you like me to change my mind, Burgess?"

"No, sir," she answered.

"As long as being in a relationship doesn't negatively effect your work, I have no problem with it."

"Thank you," Kim said.

"Thanks, Sarg," Adam added.

They both turned around to walk out.

"Oh and by the way," Voight said. "I'm happy for you two. You belong together."

They both smiled before Adam opened the door. They walked out. The entire Intelligence team was sitting at their desks, staring at them.

"Everything ok?" Halstead asked.

"Everything's great," Adam replied.

Before Kim could go to her desk, Adam took her hand and whirled her around so she was facing him. He pulled her close and kissed her long and hard. Everyone started to clap.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Only one more to go!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

10 months later

Adam gazed at Kim from across the crowded living room. She was chatting with his sister, a wine glass half full of white wine in her hand. He couldn't help but watch her. She was incredible in every sense of the word. She was wearing a dark blue, sparkly dress that fell just below her knees. Her hair was down, but she had taken the time to curl the ends so it had bounce to it. As always, she wore just the right amount of makeup. The outfit was complete with the birthstone necklace Adam had given to her the Christmas before.

Kim and his sister shared a laugh and it made Adam smile. Kim caught Adam's eye. He winked at her and she winked back before turning her attention back to what Adam's sister was saying.

It was Christmas night and Adam was once again at his grandfather's house, as was his family's tradition. His entire extended family was around him. His young cousins were playing with their new train set on the floor, his uncles and aunts were sharing stories of events long past, his mother was in the kitchen putting away the leftovers from the delicious dinner they shared. And Kim was in the middle of all of them. Adam had been amazed all night with how well Kim fit in with his family. It was as if she had been a part of his family her entire life.

Adam felt the same way about Kim's family. They had spent Christmas morning at Kim's sister's house. He took pleasure in watching Kim interact with her niece. She was a natural with kids and it made Adam stop and think about their future. She would be an amazing mom some day. Adam couldn't believe that in just over a year, Kim had made such an impact on his life. He couldn't imagine his world without her.

"Need another beer?" Adam's father asked as he walked up next to him.

"No, I'm good," Adam replied. He had stopped drinking an hour before. He wanted a clear head for what was going to happen later in the evening.

His father followed Adam's line of sight, not surprised when he saw who Adam was looking at. He clapped Adam on the back.

"She's a keeper," his father said.

"Yeah."

"You know, this is usually your mother's department and I don't like to get involved, but have you thought of making an honest woman out of her? You know, ask her to marry you."

Adam chuckled. "Since when did you start worrying about when I was going to get married?"

"I don't," his father said. "But a woman like Kim is not going to wait around forever. And before you say that you two haven't been together long enough, just remember that your mother and I got married after only two months of dating and look how well that turned out."

"Don't worry about me and Kim, dad."

"I've never seen you happier," his father observed.

Adam shrugged. "That's because I've never been happier. I've got everything I want."

"You know, some cops work their entire careers to get into a department like Intelligence. You're lucky."

"I know, dad."

His father continued. "And finding the right woman…you got a one in a million shot in finding someone you're going to love for the rest of your life, but I think you found her."

"Yeah, I think so, too," Adam agreed.

"I'm happy for you, son."

"The Ruzek men must be pretty lucky because I'd say we both found our one in a million," Adam said, motioning towards the kitchen where his mother was.

"Hell yes, we have," his father agreed.

They both watched as Kim excused herself from talking to Adam's sisters and sauntered into the kitchen. After putting her wineglass down, she offered to help Adam's mom with the dishes. Adam's mom tried to brush Kim off, but Kim insisted. She rolled up her sleeves, put on a pair of rubber gloves, and dipped her hands into the hot, sudsy water. Adam's mom stood next to her and began drying the dishes Kim washed. Before long, they were both laughing.

"Mom likes her," Adam observed.

"Then she's definitely a keeper. You know not too many women make it past your mother's scrutiny. Don't screw this up."

"I won't. Trust me. Merry Christmas, dad."

"Merry Christmas, son."

After a swift hug, Adam's father wandered away to chat with other family members, leaving Adam alone. He couldn't help but continue to stare at Kim in the kitchen. The fact that she got along so well with his mother was just the cherry on top of a very large, delicious ice cream.

Deciding that he had spent enough time away from the love of his life, Adam walked into the kitchen. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Why don't you go sit down, mom?" He suggested to his mother. "I've got this."

"The last time you helped in the kitchen, you broke two dishes," his mother reminded him.

"I was ten. Besides, you've been on your feet all day."

"I guess I could take a rest." She handed her dish towel to Adam, but then turned to Kim. "Don't let him break anything."

"I won't," Kim assured her.

His mother put her hand on his shoulder. "She's too good for you, you know."

"I know, mom," Adam said.

"I love you, son."

"I love you, too, mom."

Adam's mom made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Adam watched as she perched herself on her husband's lap. Although in their late 60's, his parents acted like two teenagers in love.

"That's not true," Kim said.

"What isn't?"

"I'm not too good for you."

"I beg to differ. Are we going to stand here all night or are you going to start washing?"

"I take it back," Kim said. "Maybe I am too good for you. You're bossy."

Adam took the hand towel he was using to dry and playfully hit Kim on the behind with it. She tried to stifle a shriek. She plunged her hands into the warm, sudsy water and then flicked some of the water at Adam.

"Hey!" He yelled. She repeated the action, showering him with even more soapy water. In retaliation, Adam quickly grabbed the nozzle and hose that was attached to the sink and aimed it at her.

"Don't you dare," she warned playfully.

Adam pulled the trigger so a small amount of water spurted out, but it didn't hit Kim. He was teasing her. Kim grabbed for it, but he held it out of her reach. She stripped off her rubber gloves and threw them at him. They left a smear of soap suds on his shirt.

"Hey!" He shouted.

"You started it," she retorted.

Kim reached for the nozzle he was holding once more, but he was just too tall for her.

"What are you going to give me?" He asked, taking a step towards her, but keeping the nozzle above his head.

"What?"

"If you don't want to get hosed down, you have to give me something," he stated.

"Like what?"

"Like…a kiss?" He suggested.

"Your family is right in the other room," she reminded him.

"I think they know we kiss sometimes."

Kim stepped forward and kissed him lightly on the lips, but that wasn't enough for Adam. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her harder. He could tell she was trying to resist him, but she eventually let her defenses down and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He pressed his body against hers, trapping her against the sink. He didn't want to give her the chance to get away. Adam dropped the nozzle to rub his hands up her back. As the hose hit the counter, the nozzle was triggered and water spurt up in the air. Kim squealed as she got sprayed with water and they broke apart. Adam returned the hose and nozzle to where they belonged.

"You two ok in here?" Adam's mom asked, standing in the doorway.

"We've got it under control," Adam replied.

Kim concentrated on the dishes, sheepishly. Adam quickly rushed over to his mother to give her a kiss on the cheek. She turned back to the guests in the other room with a smile. Adam returned to Kim, who was busy with the dishes.

"Your mother just watched us make out," she whispered.

"Well, maybe we should show her and everyone else in there just how good we are at it."

Adam tipped her chin back and kissed her hard.

Hours later, Adam and Kim finally got home. Kim immediately kicked off her black high heels and headed to the bedroom. Adam stood in the living room and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He stared at the time. It was 11:55.

"I can't believe how late we were there," Kim said from the other room.

"Yeah," Adam agreed, not really listening to her talking. He just watched the seconds tick away on his phone.

"Your family's incredible. The stories your uncle and dad have about when they first started out as cops…they're unbelievable. I can't believe the things they used to get away with. The two of them should write a book."

"Yeah," Adam repeated.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Adam finally looked up as Kim appeared in the bedroom doorway. She had changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and one of Adam's sweatshirts, which was at least two sizes too big. She had taken off her makeup and her hair was in a ponytail.

"You are so beautiful."

"Really, are you sure you're ok? I told you not to eat that questionable casserole your aunt made. Who knows what she put in it."

Adam looked back down at his phone. He had one more minute.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"Ok. Just don't wake me when you start throwing up in the middle of the night." Adam didn't respond. "Well…I'm gonna turn in." Again, there was no response. Adam was barely listening to her. "Are you coming?"

"Wait." Adam flashed his cell phone at her.

"What am I waiting for?"

He walked over to her and showed her the time. It turned from 11:59 to 12:00. It was officially midnight.

"It's Boxing Day," he stated.

"Ok."

"It's our day," he said.

She smiled. "You remembered."

"Of course I remembered. That was the night I realized I was truly, madly, deeply in love with you."

"You didn't tell me you loved me on Boxing Day," she pointed out.

"No, but I was thinking it. I should have told you, which is why I'm making up for it now.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I also remembered that traditionally Boxing Day is when we exchange gifts."

"Traditionally? It was only one year."

"Well, I think it should become a tradition."

"But we already exchanged gifts this morning," Kim said.

"I have one more gift."

"Adam, you don't have to give me anything else. The tickets you got me were enough and…"

Adam pulled a small, black, velvet box out of his pocket. Kim was immediately silenced. She knew it was a jewelry box. Kim brought her hands to her mouth as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

"I love you," he said. "You complete me. There was a time I thought I'd never find anyone I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, but that's not true anymore. Fate stepped in. Fate brought us together in a very…unconventional way." She giggled. "And ever since that day, I've known that I can't live without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Adam got down on one knee and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

Kim gasped and nodded simultaneously.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Yeah?" He replied, hoping he heard her right.

"Yes," she repeated.

Adam stood up, took the ring out of the box, and slid it on Kim's finger. She looked at it quickly, beaming. Kim launched herself into his arms. Their lips met frantically, both of them unable to get enough of each other. Adam wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. She buried her hands in his hair.

"This was…unexpected," she said when they finally pulled apart.

"I know we haven't been together for all that long, but I know what I want. And I want you. I want you today, tomorrow, forever."

"I love you," she said, her lips lingering near his ear.

"I love you, too," he whispered before kissing her once more.

Author's Note: Well, that's it! I hope everyone enjoyed this last chapter and this story! It was a lot of fun to write and it just felt like every chapter kept so…naturally. I am already working on a few more Burzek fanfictions, so stay tuned for more in the very near future! Thanks for reading!


End file.
